False Paradise
by Pinkcandle
Summary: The Kaiser, finally released from the evil that dominated his life, but at the cost of Davis. Forced to watch as the other boy and the Digital World change, Ken, newly restored, is suddenly thrust into chaos. Davis/Ken Sequel to The New Millennium. AU
1. Losing His Grip

There was a long silence from inside the room. There was nothing to be heard. After several long minutes, the lock clicked. The door creaked open, flooding lightly into the dark room. Davis stood on the other side of the door, sweat dripping down the side of his face and his arms now completely empty. Ken took a cautious step forward and placed his hand on the other boy's shoulder. "Davis? Davis, can you hear me?"

"Yeah, I-I'm fine," Davis said, offering a smile. He stepped out of the doorway and turned around to close the door behind him, exposing what looked like a gash of dark energy that had appeared down the back of his neck.

"Davis..." Ken began, still careful. He remembered this happening to him. The change was far from instantaneous, but the hosts were still susceptible to tantrums if provoked enough. "I need to wrap your neck. You have a nasty gash back there."

"It'll be fine," Davis said with a wave of his hand.

"Look," Pinamon gasped. It seemed as if the energy was being sucked into his skin, the energy spinning as if down a drain, the gash slowly getting smaller.

Ken watched with sad, guilty eyes. "Oh, Davis... You didn't have to do that..."

"It seemed like the best idea at the time," Davis said, coming to touch the back of his neck, making what was left of the dark energy spread from his fingers in smoky wisps. He turned back around and let out a gentle laugh. "Hurt a bit more than I thought it would, though."

Ken nodded meekly. "It hurts a lot. I thought I was going to throw up when it happened to me." Unable to fight his instincts, Ken threw his arms around Davis in a hug. "What do we do now?"

"I don't know," Davis said quietly, biting his lip a bit. "If this ever happened... I asked Taichi to have a place in his home open for you. I don't want you to stay here and get hurt."

"I'm not leaving," Ken insisted and tightened his hold. "You never gave up on me. I'm not about to give up on you."

"You have to," Davis said with a shake of his head. "I don't want you to get hurt and I certainly don't want to be the one to do it. Besides, the other chosen children need to know what's going on and I can't go and tell them. Plus..." he looked down at Chibimon, Wormmon, and Pinamon at his feet. "These guys all have homes much better than this place and they need to go to before something bad happens."

"No!" Ken said again, shaking his head firmly. "I'm staying with you!"

Davis let out a long breath, his shoulders squaring up a little. "I guess I can't stop you. Just promise me you'll get out of here if it gets dangerous."

Ken lifted his head. "Davis, when I was the Kaiser, I wanted nothing more than to have someone with me. I needed another human around. That's why I'm going to stay, but... I promise to leave if it gets too dangerous."

Davis nodded thankfully. "Good." He'd gone back to rubbing his neck, again laughing, attempting to lighten the mood as he said, "The good news is, there's no shell or yolk to clean up."

The pale boy laughed weakly. "That's always a plus." He looked at the door Davis had just closed and had a thought. "Why don't we... Deactivate the rings, Davis?"

Davis hesitated. "Why?"

"Well... Don't you think the Digimon should be set free? Deactivating the rings and spirals will give them their freedom will back."

"That's true, but..." Davis said, rubbing the back of his neck. "As long as you're still here... don't you think it could be dangerous to let them loose? They'll want to come after you."

Ken looked down and then back up. "I'm not the Kaiser anymore, though."

"They don't know that," Davis said with a small frown. "And trying to explain that to every Digimon won't turn out so well. Besides, even if they did understand, they may not care."

"But don't they deserve to be set free?" Ken asked. "Whether I free them now or later, won't they have the same feelings?"

"If we let them go when you're already back in the real world, then we won't have a problem with them hurting you," Davis said firmly. "I'm not going to let them go until you're out of here, where they can't come after you."

Except Ken really wanted to do this. "But... If we set them free, they must realize I'm not the Kaiser anymore. If I was, why would I let them go?"

"Is that really what they're going to be thinking when they get let go?" Davis asked, folding his hands behind his back. "They won't care why you let them go. They're just going to storm the citadel."

"So... So they have to stay mindless prisoners?" Ken hung his head in disappointment. "I'm finally back in control of myself and I feel totally helpless."

"We'll eventually get to a time when it'll be okay. We'll work piece by piece and figure out a safe way to let them go," Davis said with a shake of his head, reaching forward and putting his hands on Ken's shoulders.

Ken nodded. "All right. So, in the meantime... What do we do? Even if we don't set the Digimon free, maybe we can try fixing the Digital World." He put on a hopeful smile. "That way it will be really nice for them."

"Alright," Davis said with a smile. "We'll get to planning that, then."

Ken nodded again. "It's a bit late, though. Maybe we should sleep on it and begin work tomorrow."

"That's fine with me," Davis said with a smile. "C'mon." He gestured back towards the bedroom, and soon led the pack back to it. "We'll work on moving you guys back into the bedroom," Davis said decidedly to the Digimon. "We'll make you guys beds instead of nests. Unless you want to keep your nest, Wormmon," Davis said suddenly.

"Either option is fine with me, Davis. Thank you," Wormmon responded.

Davis opened the door to Wormmon's room, and the little green Digimon went inside, with Pinamon close on his tail. Davis looked down at Chibimon, looking up at him with big, sad red eyes. He crouched down and picked the Digimon up, hugging him gently. "Get a good night's sleep, Chibimon."

Chibimon nuzzled up under Davis' chin. "Are you sure you feel okay, Davis?" he squeaked.

"I feel fine, Chibimon," Davis said quietly. "Get some rest. You did an awesome job today."

"You'll let me know if you start to feel funny, right?"

"Of course, Chibimon," Davis said as he put the Digimon down, patting him on the head. "I'll let you know right away."

"Good." He scampered into the room then and settled into his nest.

Ken followed Davis to the bedroom, but he stopped about halfway in. "Oh, right... There's only one bed. I guess I can take a pillow and sleep in the tub."

"Don't worry about that," Davis said with a wave of his hand. "It's big enough for us to share."

"You sure you don't mind? I know I'm not the Kaiser anymore. You share a bed with someone you love... Not me." Ken tucked some hair behind his ear only for his fingers to keep moving and slip through the full length of his locks. Indigo eyes watched as his hair fell, seeming awed and even a little confused.

"Yeah, but it's your bed. I'm not gonna kick you out of it." Davis said, going over to the bed and sitting down on its side, only to notice that Ken was curiously playing with his hair. "Don't remember growing it out?" he asked.

"Not particularly..." he answered. "I don't know all the details exactly. I saw some things happen, but didn't necessarily feel them."

"Apparently I told you I liked it long at one point, and you kept it like that," Davis said with a quiet laugh, putting his hands behind his head and laying back onto the pillows.

Ken looked shyly up at Davis. "Do you still like it?"

"It still looks nice," Davis said with a smile and nod.

Do you like it better up or down?"

"Well... I'm used to seeing it in a ponytail, but it always looked good down, too," Davis said, shrugging slightly, only for a yawn to break through his lips. Even though he hadn't been up for much time at all, he suddenly felt very tired.

Ken smiled and crawled into the bed beside Davis. "I think I'll wear it down then." He moved in close at first, but then moved back on a second thought. "Sorry..."

"It's okay," Davis said as he looked over at Ken. "Just do what you feel comfortable with. I'm alright with it."

"You don't know me yet," Ken said with a slight shake of his head. "It wouldn't be right. I just know you so well. I keep forgetting."

"Alright," Davis said with a nod. "Let's just get some sleep, then," he said as another yawn broke through his lips.

"Okay..." Ken leaned over and stole a peck on Davis' cheek before scurrying back over to his side of the bed and curling up in the sheets. Davis put a hand on his cheek, looking over at Ken only to see him hiding in the sheets. He rolled his eyes with a smile and turned over as well. It didn't take long at all for him to drift off to sleep. The room was quiet for a long while, until Davis suddenly began to move. He began to twitch and whimper quietly, the sounds steadily getting louder. Ken was sleeping soundly until he felt the mattress moving and the sheets shifting. He sat up and looked at the other boy; the distressed and scared sounds making him frown. "Davis?" Ken reached out and gently shook him. "Davis, wake up. You're having a bad dream."

"No!" Davis suddenly shouted. His hands moved as if restricted, trying to reach at something he was dreaming, writhing and starting to yell.

"Davis!" Ken put both hands on the other boy, shaking him a bit harder now. "Davis, wake up! Wake up!" Davis wouldn't wake up. He continued to scream until he finally fell limp. Once he did, he began to mumble under his breath, turning one way, then the other, before his hand came to grip Ken's leg. He continued to whimper and mumble, his legs kicking for a while before they suddenly became stiff, as if locked into place, and he screamed once more as he back arched, like it had been hit. Ken's hands flew to his mouth, eyes wide. "No... Oh God no!" He at once wrapped his arms around Davis and pulled him up, holding him. It was all Ken knew how to do. "It'll be okay, Davis. This will be over soon. It's okay... I'm here..."

Hours went by. Davis continued to writhe and scream, gripping at Ken's shirt, shaking his head. He made strange, animalistic noises, arms and legs locked in place, back arching with every whimper of pain. He was sweating and his voice was nearly gone when he finally seemed to calm. He reached himself up, shakily placing a kiss on Ken's jaw. "M-... m-master," came breathlessly through his lips before he finally collapsed back into calm sleep.

Silent tears fell from Ken's eyes. Was this how Davis felt watching the Kaiser suffer? Why did anybody have to feel like this anymore? "Not anymore," Ken whispered. He stroked Davis' cheek and kissed his forehead. "You don't have a master anymore." When morning came, Davis woke, almost perfectly at the crack of dawn. His eyes snapped open, his breathing suddenly picking up only to calm down again. He looked around, swallowing and then glancing up. He was curled up in Ken's arms. The other boy was laying back against the pillows, having fallen asleep when Davis finally drifted into a calm rest himself. There were tear stains still running down the pale boy's face. Davis exhaled and lifted his hand up, wiping away what was left of his tears. Ken flinched slightly. Even though he was asleep, he was still tuned to any sounds or movements Davis might make. Not quite sure what Davis was doing, Ken reached to grab Davis' hand, holding it gently. "Sshhh... It's okay..." he said wearily. "It's okay. I'm here."

"Ken," Davis said quietly, almost whispering. "Ken, I had a dream."

"I know. I know you did." Ken breathed slowly. "And I'm sorry."

"Was that..." he breathed. "Was that really the first day I got captured?" he asked, as he touched his neck subconsciously, where the Dark Ring had first been clamped. "I remember it all so vividly now."

Ken choked, but nodded. "I'm so... so... so sorry..."

"Don't apologize... that was a long time ago," Davis said with a shake of his head.

"But I am," Ken said. "I'm so deeply sorry, Davis. I was a monster. You... You should hate me." Despite his words, Ken drew Davis closer, tucking the boy beneath his chin protectively. "I don't know how I can ever atone for my sins."

"You know... you started to do a pretty good job, even as the Kaiser," Davis murmured. He didn't push Ken away, just allowed himself to be pulled closer. He felt like he'd barely gotten any sleep at all. "Now that you're Ken, it should just be worlds easier."

"What... What do you mean? I didn't do anything."

"You may not remember, but the Kaiser tried so hard to be someone I could love, Ken," Davis said. "The Kaiser tried everything possible. He let me go from the Dark Spiral because I told him I wanted to love him for real, and he gave me anything I asked for as long as I stayed with him in return."

"Yes, but... You loved him. I'm not the Kaiser anymore, Davis. His love for you was the same as mine, but your love for him is not the same for me. Whatever you loved about him... Is probably gone now."

"Are you suggesting that I loved the psychotic part?" Davis asked, quirking his brow.

Ken shook his head. "No, no, of course not, but... Our personalities were different. The Kaiser had a sharp tongue, a firm hand, a regality about him. Me..." He absently pet Davis' hair. "I'm only a meek boy with a gentle heart and all too frail body."

"I'm sure you guys share some similarities," Davis said, leaning his head into Ken's chest. "And I guarantee you that I'll know them when I see them."

"I... I'll do my best to give you the things you want too, Davis. Regardless of anything, I do love you. I have loved you for a long time."

Davis smiled slightly, nodding his head. "That's something," he said. They sat there in silence for a long time before Davis spoke again. "Do you think I should tell Chibimon about my dream?"

Ken shrugged gently. "I don't know the answer to that question, Davis. It all depends on your relationship with him. I know... that if it was me... I would tell Wormmon, but like said... that's me."

"I just don't want to worry him," Davis said with a gentle frown. "If he knew that something was already happening... he wouldn't even think about leaving me to go back to the real world."

"He wouldn't leave you anyway," Ken said. "You know that."

"I know, but... it would just be so much better for him if he did. He wouldn't get hurt..."

"Our Digimon love us so much deeper than we know, Davis. I never wanted Wormmon to get hurt, but he did, and he did it because he loves me. Chibimon is going to do the same for you."

"All he ever did was sacrifice himself for me," Davis said with a frown. "And now I can never return the favor. The best I can do is try to convince him to get out before it's too late. That way, I'm at least trying to keep him safe."

"Being with us is all they ever want, Davis," Ken said. "They waited for us for a long time. What could have been one hundred years for all we know. When you wait that long for someone, you are never going to let them go..."

Davis exhaled and nodded slightly. "I guess you're right... he just deserves better."

"They all deserve better, Davis."

Davis nodded, before throwing his head back with a sigh. "I'm still tired," he murmured, obviously showing that he was done with the subject.

"You should go back to sleep," Ken suggested quietly. "I'll stay here with you. I promise." Davis swallowed slightly. What if he had that dream again? He thought about it for a few moments before shaking his head adamantly. There was no way he could have such a vivid dream a second time. And with that, he gave Ken a nod and slowly let himself slip back into slumber.

Ken sat at the vanity Davis allowed him to keep. It had been a few weeks since the other boy had been infected, but already Davis was suffering... changing. He was even reformatting the citadel to his image. While there were days Ken had braided his hair, it was now worn down at all times at Davis' firm insistence. Ken knew better than anyone not to go against Davis. He'd been on that side before and knew how angry and violent he could get if told no. So he sat there brushing the incredibly long locks he was still amazed by. "Maybe we should see about restoring some foliage to the area," Ken suggested.

Davis was standing in front of the closet, debating his clothing for the day. He'd taken to only dressing in white. Everything else had been thrown into a box and stashed at the back of the closet. Now he was sliding white pants up over white boxers. "I've got a better idea in the works," Davis said curtly as he began to push the hangers from side to side to pick his shirt.

"Oh?" Ken looked over his shoulder toward the voice coming from the closet. "What sort of idea?"

"You'll see," Davis said as he finally picked a white muscle shirt and put it on. He then sauntered over to the vanity, leaning against the back of Ken's chair and fixing his own hair in the mirror. His eyes were nearly bloodshot and bags were forming beneath them because he barely ever got a wink of sleep. Every night he relived another day that he'd forgotten while under the control of the Dark Ring, and he always woke up feeling as if he hadn't even slept.

Ken hated seeing Davis like this. If he'd known being infected by Millenniummon would cause shared memories, Ken would have never allowed Davis to take the egg. Davis was changing, and fast. While Ken still managed more sleep than the other, he suffered his own hours of holding a terrified Davis in his arms, cradling the dark-skinned boy and hushing him gently. Ken wasn't so sure four years worth of night terrors was survivable. "I was thinking... Maybe if you fall asleep listening to music, you won't have so many nightmares."

"Music?" Davis asked, quirking a brow with a frown. "How would that help?" He brushed back his spiky hair, frowning at it as it bounced back into place. He tried to scruff it up, but that just made it worse and he sighed, rolling his shoulders back.

"It can distract you," Ken explained. "Listening to music as you fall asleep can alter your brainwave patterns so that you think about something else. Sleeping in silence invites the steady habit of memories, but music can change the pattern of subconscious thinking." He watched Davis struggle with his hair. "What do you want it to look like?" Ken asked.

"Dunno," Davis said with a frown. "Just... not like normal. I dunno." He then let his mind drift back to the music idea. "That might be a good idea. I'll try that." He yawned, but shook it off. "I'll try and get some more work done on the citadel today. I'm almost done with it."

Ken smiled. "Here, maybe I can help." He dug through one of the drawers and pulled out a canister of hair gel. "I used this back when my hair was short." Dipping his fingers into the stuff, Ken then began to mold Davis' hair. He smoothed it back on the sides, even catching all the feathered strands, and then the top was smoothed forward creating a short bang that turned up just slightly off his forehead. "Do you like that?"

Davis peered into a mirror, and a smarmy grin cracked across his face. "Yeah, I dig it. Much better," he said with a laugh, running his fingertips over the smoothed back hairs. "You'll have to teach me how to do that myself later."

"I'd be happy to." Ken put the gel on the vanity top and followed Davis out of their room. "All the changes you've been making are really nice, Davis. All the dark metals were so depressing before."

"Mhm, this suits the place much better," Davis said as they emerged into the hall. He'd turned all of the dark steel white. White carpet on the floors and white wallpaper on the walls. "I'm thinking of putting some gold in today," he said as he began to walk towards the control room. They'd tried sitting Ken down at the controls once, a week or so ago, but the boy had found he couldn't remember everything that went into working the thing. That was enough invitation for Davis to pick up the controls and start making his own choices. "And all the water outside is almost gone, so I can start working outside soon, too." He watched as a Gazimon passed them by and made a face. "I can look into putting these guys back where they belong and getting some new Digimon to help out around here, too. Maybe some Gatomon or Tapirmon or something."

Ken found that comment to be a bit strange. He found all of this to be a bit strange, actually. It seemed so unusual for Millenniummon's possessed personality to go from one extreme to the other. While Ken had been pure evil and dark, Davis seemed to be on the other end of the spectrum; obsessed with pure good and light. "Davis... How do you feel about some Patamon?" he asked experimentally.

"Patamon would be nice, though I don't think they'd be very good at carrying things," Davis said with a shrug as they continued to walk along. "But some Angemon guards to replace the Apemon would be good..."

"What about Kudamon? Loillmon?"

"Yeah, yeah," Davis said with a grin, nodding. "Those would be good too. I wonder how easy it would be to find some..." he pondered as they came upon the control room. He swung the door open and flicked on the lights, which was something that never happened in that room before Davis had taken over. Normally, the place was kept totally in shadow. But now it was brilliantly lit, even more so by the giant screens that kicked to light. He'd changed the Kaiser's dismal, dark throne into a golden one and quickly jumped into it, kicking up his feet as he began to turn on all of the systems. "Maybe some Cupimon, too."

"Davis..." Ken came to stand beside the throne, his eyes on the boy rather than the screen. "Do you notice anything about all those Digimon we just listed?"

"Hm? What do you mean?" Davis asked as he brought the keyboard close to his face, starting to type. "They seem like they'd be better company than these jerk Gazimon, if that's what you mean."

"That's it? Not that they're... Holy Beast Digimon?"

"Are they?" Davis asked as he set down a few lines of code, making white carpet pixelate all across the metal floor. "Didn't realize it. I'd like to have some of those around, though."

Ken nodded. "I see... Davis, what kind of vision do you have for the Digital World?" Ken picked his feet up when the floor changed. Davis was making everything so pure, but were his intentions the same?

"I want to fix it. Make it look nice, get rid of all the violence and barrenness that has been the Digital World for so many years," Davis said. "I'm gonna turn it into heaven."

"Heaven..." Ken gasped softly. No, this wasn't good at all. "Davis, we should just put it back the way it was, don't you think? There was nothing wrong with the Digital World before the Kaiser got his hands on it. That's what you need to do. Just set things right again. Don't change anything."

"I think what was wrong with it was that it was able to be corrupted," Davis said with a wave of his finger. "If it's heaven, no one will ever corrupt it again."

"Davis, every heaven has its Lucifer," Ken warned.

Davis just gave Ken an odd look only to shrug his shoulders and lean back in his chair, typing again on the keyboard. "It'll be fine," he said firmly.

"You aren't a god, Davis. You can't protect this world just because you put in a few clouds and a golden gate. Everything here has free will." Ken tried to explain it as calmly and rationally as he could in hopes that Davis would abandon this divine pursuit. "Paradise is unobtainable."

"Don't tell me what's unob... what I can't do!" Davis suddenly snapped, his fingers landing harder on the keys. "I've got a great plan. I've failed the Digital World so many times, and this time I'm going to make sure nothing can go wrong!"

"Even Eden had a snake!" Ken cried. "You won't fail the Digital World by returning its original form. You'll be doing what always needed to be done. Protect that world, not this false paradise."

"Those are stories, Ken. This is real," Davis snorted. "Real life doesn't have a moral to teach, stuff just happens. The good get punished and the bad succeed just based on who has the power." He again waved his finger. "And with me at the helm, that'll be swapped."

"Then..." Ken began, calculating, "if you're good, and in control, then what hope does evil have regardless of whether the Digital World looks like heaven or not?"

"None, I just want it to look that way," Davis said. "Maybe it'll inspire the Digimon to be less violent. Keep them calm. And the Holy Digimon can set a perfect example."

Ken bit his lip. "What will you do with the Digimon who are still... misbehaved?"

"Dunno," Davis murmured with a shrug. "I'll figure something out eventually..."

"When you finish the landscape, do you think we can take their rings and spirals off?"

"Yeah... I'm not a fan of the Dark Rings," Davis said as he pulled up the file that contained the design of the dark device. He frowned at it, pressing a few buttons that made it spin on-screen. "Once I decide what the best way to make sure that everything is secure is, I can get rid of these."

"And we can go outside again?" Ken asked hopefully. Even when trapped in his own body while the Kaiser was in control, Ken longed for the outdoors. Thanks to the flooding, they weren't able to leave the citadel until recently, but even with the waters gone, Davis insisted it wasn't safe. "I want to go walking, Davis."

"Hm? Yeah, of course we can go outside. Once it's safe." Brown eyes looked up at Ken as his fingers pawed across the keys of the keyboard. "I just don't want you to get hurt, Ken. You know that."

Ken nodded. "I do know, Davis, and I appreciate your concern. I really do. I'm just eager to see the outside world again, that's all."

"Don't worry, I'll be done soon. And then we can go outside as much as you want," he murmured, as he pressed another button. On-screen, the black ring turned gold.

The pale boy frowned slightly. "What's that? What are you doing?"

"Just messing around with it," Davis said with a wave of his hand. "I never got to see how this thing really worked..." The on-screen image zoomed in so he could take a look at the inner-workings of the ring and began to spin it around so he could see everything.

Ken bit his lip again. He knew what Davis was really doing. "Controlling them to do good is still controlling them."

Davis cast Ken an annoyed glance. "I know what I'm doing, Ken."

"I'm sorry..." Ken fell quiet then. He folded his hands in front of his body and took to looking down at the floor, the blinding white floor.

Davis continued to work in silence for a while. Some of the changes couldn't be seen, but he could watch golden crown molding appear in the room. After following it with his eyes, they glanced back at Ken, who was still staring at the ground. "So, Ken," he started, "How long are you planning on staying here?"

"Hm?" Ken finally glanced up. "You mean in the room or here in the Digital World?"

"The Digital World," Davis said, glancing up at the boy with a frown. "You're obviously not happy with what I'm doing here, but you've got a one-way ticket back to the real world that you're refusing."

He shook his head. "It's not that I'm unhappy with what you're doing, Davis. This just isn't what I thought we would be doing, that's all."

Davis looked skeptical at first, but then nodded contently as he turned back to the screen. "That makes sense, then. But once you see it all together, you'll be glad we did this instead."

"I just don't want to see the Digimon get hurt anymore," Ken insisted. "That's all I ask. They've suffered enough already."

"I intend to do just the opposite," Davis said with a smile. "I'm going to bring forth peace in the Digital World. Isn't that okay?"

Ken smiled back. "Of course, Davis. I always told myself that if I was ever set free of the Kaiser, the first thing I would do is set all the Digimon free as well. I would fix everything I had broken. I would make things good, peaceful, and happy."

"Then we're thinking alike," Davis said as he turned off the computer after clicking one last thing. He stood up, brushing his new bang back a bit. "This is going to need an hour or so before I can get back to work," he explained as he stepped over to Ken's side.

His smile softened into a shy one. "So what do you want to do until then?"

Davis smirked, offering his hand. "You want to go for that walk?"

Ken's entire face brightened. "Yes, of course!" He instantly grabbed Davis' hand, squeezing it gently, and nodded eagerly. Davis' grin widened and he lead the way out of the control room. They had to head down tons of staircases to get to the ground below. Some of them were decked out in Davis' new décor, white carpet with gold railings, some were in the middle of being changed just as they walked down them, and some were still the depressing gray metal that had been the Kaiser's taste. As they stepped outside, Davis squinted his eyes a bit against the sun and frowned as he stepped out onto the sand. Ken saw the frown. He curled both his arms around Davis' one and leaned his head against a square shoulder. "Everything will grow back," he said reassuringly. "All the water that was here will keep the ground moist and the sun will keep the buds warm once they start to bloom. You'll see."

"Hm," Davis just hummed, as if in thought. "Let me see if I remember how this worked..." he said, putting his finger up to indicate that he needed a moment. He then stepped back into the threshold of the citadel and began to play with a mechanism inside the door, until slowly, pavement began to flicker over the sand before solidifying. Buildings and trees were erected, and soon Digital Odaiba was once more sprawling out before them, sans people. "This'll be fine until I finish out here," Davis whistled as he rejoined Ken out on what was now the pavement.

Ken smiled at the familiar surroundings. Davis had been back here multiples times and knew its true form, but Ken was perfectly happy with the holographic memory. "We can go to my apartment!" the boy suddenly suggested. "I can show you all my things. I have a special lamp I like to sleep with, the bunk beds, my balcony, my books... Everything!"

Davis looked surprised at the suggestion. "I never went to either of our apartments before..." he said as he looked back out at the digital city. "So I can't guarantee it'll be there, but... sure, let's take a look."

"Isn't this the same program the Kaiser installed? I'm sure he made everything the same." Ken pulled Davis along gently so as not to upset him. More and more recently, Ken wished he could call Davis his boyfriend, but did they have that kind of relationship? Davis' personality was going through changes that made it difficult to tell what or how he was feeling. Ken got to hold hands, sleep in the same bed, and always be with the other boy, so he supposed that was good enough. "This is my building!" he chirped excitedly. So far so good. Normally Ken might think it was weird that the front door was unlocked, but in Digital Odaiba, there was no real danger. He opened the door only to be met with a dreadfully drab apartment. Ken frowned. "What...?" All the pale furniture was gone, having been replaced by dark colored upholstery and a completely different layout. The kitchen was painted a different color. His parents' room was now a study. His own room looked like the bedroom of a young couple with a queen sized bed against the wall and hints of female decor. "Where... Where's all my stuff?"

Davis' eyes widened a bit as they walked into the apartment. Why was it like this? Davis knew that Ken's parents had passed away while he was in the Digital World. But he also knew that Digital Odaiba was a clone of Odaiba from four years ago. So why was this apartment up to date while the rest of the city was still frozen in time? Davis stopped when they entered Ken's room and tugged on his hand slightly. "Ken... Ken, c'mon. Let's go back."

Ken pulled away from Davis. He moved around the room that he knew was his, but at the same time felt like he'd never been here before. The closet door was thrown open and he began to look through the clothes in there. Dresses were ripped from their hangers and cast onto the floor. Loafers, sandals, ties, belts, hats... Soon the floor was littered in clothing Ken never wore. "None of this is mine. Where are the bunk beds? Where's my lamp? Where's my photo of Osamu?" Ken moved to the stained bamboo nightstand and picked up a photo of a couple on their honeymoon in Paris. "Who are these people? Why are they living in my house? Where are my parents?"

"Ken..." Davis sighed quietly, walking over to the boy and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Your parents passed away while you were in the Digital World. After you'd been gone for all those years."

Ken stared at Davis with wide eyes. His throat ran dry, cracking painfully when he suddenly shouted, "No!"

Davis glanced down slightly, but then looked back into the other boy's eyes. "I'm sorry, Ken. Neither of them could take having lost both of their children."

"No! No, that isn't true!" Ken clamped his hands over his ears. "They're still in the real world! They'll wait for me! They will!" He looked at the wall where a dresser and mirror now stood. "My bunk beds will still be there. I'll sleep on top because Osamu always slept on the bottom." Ken pushed past Davis back out into the rest of the apartment. "Mama's slippers will be by the door in her room every morning before she gets up. Dad's sweaters will be hanging out of the hamper because he has such bad aim. The white couch will still be here, a-and our family crest will be there above the fireplace. The kitchen will smell like cookies because mama bakes them all the time. Her apron will be hanging right here!" He pointed desperately to an outside corner where the living room turned into the kitchen.

Davis followed behind Ken with a frown on his face, just watching as he freaked out. Davis understood; this was exactly how he felt on the inside when he found out his parents had buried him. But he'd kept all of that inside. When Ken stopped, Davis came up behind him and braced his hands on either of the other boy's arms, gently pulling down his extended arm to his side. "Ken... don't make this harder for yourself."

Ken's body was stiff in Davis' hands. He'd gone completely rigid, breathing rapidly, hyperventilating. "I killed them..." the boy breathed.

"You didn't kill them," Davis said with a shake of his head. "You know that if it weren't for the dark spore, you never would have left in the first place. You're not to blame."

"I killed them! I left and I killed them!" Ken cried. "Oh God! I killed them!"

"Ken!" Davis snapped, shaking the other boy's shoulders. "It's not your fault!"

His body suddenly went limp, sagging in Davis' hold. "But if I hadn't left..."

"If the Kaiser hadn't left," Davis corrected firmly. "Did you really want to leave, Ken?"

Ken shook his head. "I... I never wanted to go anywhere with him."

"Then it isn't your fault, is it?" Davis continued. "Ken... no one wanted anything that happened. The only one that can be blamed is Millenniummon and the things he has created."

Tears finally started to form. "Mama... She... She's..."

"Ken..." Davis sighed. He turned the boy around and pulled Ken close to his chest. "Go on, let it out." There were a few seconds of silence before Ken began to painfully bawl into the front of Davis' shirt. His eyes flooded with tears and his nose ran on the white fabric. Body shaking, Ken gripped Davis as hard as he could but still ended up losing his legs and slumping where he stood. Davis let them slowly descend to the ground, allowing Ken to kneel rather than try to stand on legs that were too weak to do the job. He allowed Ken to cry into his shirt, one hand around his back and the other holding his head as he silently listened. He remembered being in the real world, in that jail cell, when his own tears had finally started to fall. All he'd ever wanted then was to be able to pass through those bars and actually be held. It was only right that Ken receive that comfort. Eventually Ken stopped crying, or maybe he just ran out of tears. Pulling himself together, Ken got to his feet again, wiping his eyes and nose clean. He moved to the front door and opened it, waiting for Davis to pass through. It was time to leave. Davis nodded knowingly, getting silently to his feet and leading the way back outside. He knew he wouldn't have wanted to hang around if he was Ken. As they started to walk out of the apartment building, Davis cast Ken a sideways glance and offered his hand once again. Ken took the offered hand. He gripped it fast and squeezed it hard. Never wanting to let go ever again.


	2. Becoming The Messiah

As the weeks continued to slip by, Davis continued to change. The changes were small at first. He began to react to some things differently, seemed more irritable, and of course, his eyes continued to get more and more bloodshot the more sleep he was deprived of. But eventually, the night terrors seemed to seep into the day. He acted jumpy, defensive, as if he was expecting someone to hit him. Chibimon had once tugged on the leg of his pants and he nearly hit the ceiling. And as he changed, everything changed around him. The Kaiser's dark bedroom became Davis' room. He wanted to see nothing more of the dark bedsheets and dimly lit bathroom the more he saw them in his dreams. Everything was white and gold, occasionally blue, and lit so well that there were no shadows for anything to lurk in. And Davis didn't permit for the lights to be turned off until he was already asleep, and they had to be turned on before he woke up. Ken was usually up before Davis to do the job, but today, a Gatomon with glowing blue eyes shuffled into the bedroom and turned on the lights. Ken didn't expect the lights to come on so suddenly. He actually flinched in the bed when the lights, practically fluorescent, made even the inside of his eyelids brighten. Ken sat up to find the Gatomon standing by the bed, looking at them. He knew from the moment he saw Davis playing with the dark ring's design that he would be using it for his own plan. In truth, blue eyes were no less menacing than red. Not being able to tell what a creature was thinking was always unsettling. Davis had had more nightmares that night, and that meant Ken had been up holding the boy through his screams. Too tired to be up yet, he decided to go sleep in another room. As a result, it was Chibimon who greeted the dark-skinned boy when he awoke, sitting patiently on Ken's pillow and smiling. "Good morning, Davis."

When Davis groaned awake, his reddened eyes widened to see Chibimon looking back at him when he was expecting Ken. He looked around the room, but no one else was there. He then glanced back at Chibimon and yawned as he murmured, "G'morning..." He sat up and rubbed at his eyes as he spoke as well.

"Did you sleep any better last night?" Chibimon asked innocently.

"Not really," Davis sighed as yet another yawn broke through his lips. "It was slightly shorter than the others, but..."

Chibimon wiggled his feet. "Are you ready to talk about them yet? You've never shared your nightmares with me, Davis. You know I just want to help."

Normally, Davis would probably get defensive about the question. However, when he first woke up, he was at his most vulnerable and gentle. His attitude seemed to get worse at night. Thanks to this, he stared at Chibimon for a few long moments before giving a conceding nod. "Every night... every night, I relive a day I forgot while I wore the Dark Ring."

Big red eyes saddened. "The Kaiser was really mean, huh?"

"Yeah," Davis breathed, drawing his knees up into his chest. "There's a lot of blood, a lot of hitting, a lot of whipping... And it stings like I'm really feeling it all over again."

"Davis..." Chibimon crawled down off the pillow and moved over toward his boy, hugging Davis' ankle. "I'm sorry you have to relive all of it. You should only have nice memories, not having to feel the Kaiser hit you."

"Don't apologize, it's not your fault," Davis snorted. Unlike his usual demeanor where he said that to put a smile on the face of the one saying sorry, he sounded slightly annoyed by it. "I did this to myself, anyway. So I have to live with it."

"You didn't do anything!" Chibimon insisted firmly. "The Kaiser is the one who hit you."

"Not that," Davis said with a shake of his head. "I mean these nightmares. I brought them upon myself."

"But you wouldn't have nightmares if the Kaiser had never hurt you," the little blue Digimon insisted.

"Who knows, Chibimon," Davis sighed. "Either way, I need to deal with it." He rubbed his eyes as he looked around the brightly lit room again. "Do you know where Ken went?"

Chibimon shook his head. "He was already gone when I came in."

"Strange," Davis hummed. Deciding not to bother himself with it, he fell back onto the pillows. He couldn't sleep, but he could at least spend time relaxing. "So how've you been, Chibimon?" he asked rather idly.

"I've been good," Chibimon chirped. "I like all the changes you made. Everything looks better. I especially like the things that are blue and white." He giggled. "Like me!"

Davis somehow managed to crack a smile. "Yeah, like you," he murmured, reaching over slowly to gently pet behind the Digimon's ears. It was hardly the playful ruffling of the past, rather just a light touch, but it was something. Chibimon took to the petting either way. He leaned into Davis' fingers and even began to purr softly. The smile on Davis' lips grew a bit as he continued to pet Chibimon. Though his attitude towards Ken and most of the Digimon had grown more and more sour, Chibimon was still exempt. In his nightmares, he saw the Kaiser and the Digimon bearing down upon him, leading him to more pain, locking him up. Even Wormmon had once led him into a dark jail cell. But Chibimon had done nothing wrong. No negative memories made him lash out at the little blue Digimon. Davis had still not reached the point of irrational anger, and it showed as he relaxed into the pillows as he pet his Digimon.

Chibimon moved closer, coming to lay on Davis' chest. "You're going to be so much better at this than he was," the little Digimon said. "You'll make everything good." Chibimon was so devoted to Davis that he was almost blind to the harsh temper the human was developing or the increasing cruelty he dealt Ken and Wormmon.

Davis grinned to hear his Digimon say that. "Yeah? You agree? Ken keeps telling me it's wrong, but I knew this was the right thing to do. Did you get to see outside yet, Chibimon?"

"Ken's just afraid," Chibimon said. "He'll learn to like it." He nodded. "It's like the sky is on the ground, and everything is really pretty and clean."

"Yup," Davis said with a proud grin. "The ground's all clouds now. It's really barren still, though, so I'm trying to figure out how to make waterfalls work... and I put up a gate in front of the citadel that stops unwanted visitors..." He hummed for a moment before he said, "Citadel sounds too dark, doesn't it? Maybe I'll start calling it a palace or something."

"What about a Haven?" Chibimon suggested.

"Haven... that sounds nice too," Davis said, nodding. "And I'll probably need a name, too. I can't really go by Davis anymore. It just doesn't fit."

Chibimon mulled this over in his head, but only managed to offer a shrug. "I like Davis."

Davis let out a displeased huff, but shrugged his shoulders as well. "I'll think of something," he murmured. "I've got bigger stuff to worry about right now, anyway."

The little Digimon nodded. "I have some stuff I need to take care of, too."

Davis quirked a brow, glancing over at the Digimon. "Like what?"

Chibimon just squirmed cutely where he lay. "Oh just Digimon stuff."

Davis frowned slightly at that answer. He stared down at Chibimon for a moment before saying simply, "Alright." He then turned to get up and head towards the closet to get dressed, not bothering to inquire further.

Chibimon tumbled off Davis' chest when the boy got up, but he just shook his head and sat back up on the bed. "How much do you like Ken?" he asked.

"What do you mean by that?" Davis asked as he rifled through his clothing.

"I mean do you like him as a person, a friend, or someone you love?"

"It's complicated, Chibimon," Davis said curtly. "I think I love him, but Ken insists I love the Kaiser and I don't yet know him. So I suppose I just like him as a person for now."

Chibimon tilted his head. "Aren't you mad at him?"

"It's not his fault," Davis grumbled. "He didn't know what he was doing."

"But he did," Chibimon argued. "Ken knows everything he did. He knew what he was doing while he was doing it. That's not right."

A frown seemed to grow on Davis' face as he found himself a pair of washed out jeans and white muscle shirt. "He did, didn't he?" he hummed to himself.

The blue Digimon nodded. "He did. That's why Ken feels so guilty. He knows exactly what he did to you."

"The things I've been seeing every night..." Davis murmured to himself as he got dressed. "He knows. That's why he holds me when I scream at night. He feels guilty..."

"But does holding you really make it better?"

"I can't even feel it," Davis said quietly, straightening out the clothing now on his body, the pajamas already tossed away. "It's just all he can think of to do."

"It still doesn't make up for what he did." Chibimon hopped down from the bed. "Just trying to protect someone doesn't keep them safe."

Davis looked down at Chibimon at his feet, staring down at him. Eyes that were red by color looked up at eyes that were red due to lack of sleep, and permeated into a brain running on the same problem. Eventually, his eyes narrowed and he headed for the door. "I need to go find Ken," he said simply.

Chibimon chased after him. "Wait!" He grabbed Davis' pant leg. "Let me do it."

"Do what?" Davis asked, looking down at Chibimon.

"Deal with Ken," he explained. "Let me handle it."

Davis couldn't help a laugh. "Not now, Chibimon. Not yet."

Chibimon put on a grumpy pout. "Why not?"

"Ken kept me here for four years, Chibimon," Davis said with a wave of his hand. "It wouldn't really work out fairly for me to just kick him out on the Digital World after a month or two."

"Ten minutes," Chibimon insisted. "I just want ten minutes with him, Davis."

"I said no, Chibimon," Davis said firmly. "One day, but not now. And if I see you doing anything to him before that day comes..."

"But he hurt you!" Chibimon said in a squeak of a bark. "I sat by for long enough just watching! He needs to know that he can't get away with it!"

"Don't worry, Chibimon," Davis said as he creaked open the door. "I'll take care of that. If you have some frustrations you want to take out..." He glanced over at the nightstand tucked into the corner of the room. "My Digivice is in the drawer, there. Get it for me, will you?"

Chibimon stared up at his boy with stubborn red eyes, but finally he huffed and fetched the Digivice as told. "Here," he said, holding it up over his head.

Davis took the Digivice and brandished it. "I'll let you Digivolve and go after a few old friends of ours. In my dreams... the Gazimon often times locked me up or lead me around. You can go knock a couple of those out if it will make you feel any better."

He thought on this. "Well... maybe not completely better, but I guess it will help."

"Good," Davis said, flicking the Digivice, allowing Chibimon his Digivolution to Veemon in a flash of light. "Have a blast."

Veemon stretched, flexing his arms and cracking his neck. "Just so we're clear, though," he said in holding up a clawed finger, "Ken is still the one I want to get my fists on."

"I know," Davis said. "But not now." With that, he turned and exited the bedroom. He didn't even seem to notice how odd the whole exchange had been. It was something that was completely out of place for the both of them to be saying, and yet Davis' mind saw it as completely normal. As Veemon was allowed to go off after the Gazimon, Davis went in search of Ken. Eventually he recruited a few of his new Gatomon and Tapirmon to search around the place for him.

"My lord Davis," said a stout Tapirmon as it rounded a corner behind him. "I found the boy you are looking for. He is asleep in one of the old holding cells downstairs. Shall I go back and fetch him for you?"

"No, I'll go get him," Davis said with a shake of his head as he began to walk past the Tapirmon. 'My lord Davis' echoed in his mind for a moment, and he turned to the Digimon before he could walk off. "And have everyone start calling me… The Digimon Messiah."

The Tapirmon bowed its head. "Yes, Digimon Messiah."

Down in the very lowest levels of the citadel was an area where Davis had yet to remodel. The place was still dark, cold and drab. Icy black bars caged off anything that would be living in one of the small cells. Towards the end, where Davis had found himself that fateful night, was Ken. Perhaps again trying to earn his redemption. His pale figure stood out against the dark grey floor. The large white shirt Davis had given him, which hung off his shoulders and around his thighs, nearly made Ken glow in the ominous shadows. While the floor was freezing as always, Ken was there, curled up on the stone and asleep. The place made Davis' skin crawl. He didn't like the dankness of the place, or the shadows that stretched infinitely between the barred cells. He didn't like the memories that the place now carried and he didn't like the way it looked. He hadn't even known about the place until he dreamt about it, however. And why Ken was down here was beyond him. Spotting the white clothing was a simple task. It caught Davis' eye as soon as he passed the cell. He stopped, noticing the door was open, and stepped inside, looking down at Ken sleeping upon the floor. And in a split second decision, he hoisted the boy up by his hair. "Aaaagh!" Ken tried to grab at the hands gripping his hair, but found them holding too tightly. "Davis!" His knees turned inward. "Davis, please, you're hurting me!"

"What're you doing down here?" Davis asked plainly, refusing to relinquish the long locks.

"Th-The Kaiser used to make you sleep down here. It was so cruel. It made your bones ache. I know." Ken whimpered against the pain in his scalp. "I... I had to come down here and experience it. It only s-seemed fair."

Davis frowned, finally letting go of Ken's hair. "I don't want you or anyone else to ever come down here," he said. "Not until I change it. I hate this place and I don't want to have to come down here looking for you again."

Ken placed his hand on his head where the hair had been pulled, rubbing gently. "I... I'm sorry, Davis."

"Don't apologize, just don't do it again," Davis snorted. He then jerked his head towards the other end of the corridor. "Let's go. I can't stand to be here much longer."

Ken nodded meekly. "O-Okay..." He followed Davis away from the holding cells and back up to parts of the citadel that were brighter. "Do you want me to make breakfast this morning?"

"I'm not hungry," Davis said. His appetite had also been affected by the nightmares. The once insatiable boy that ate three full meals at a fast food restaurant now barely wanted to eat at all.

"Do... Do you want to go outside?" Ken offered.

"Hm..." Davis thought for a moment. He knew Veemon was running around outside at the moment. "Not right now. Later, maybe." He began to lead the way back to the bedroom. "I just woke up, after all. I need to rest a bit before I begin my day."

Ken nodded. "All right, well... I'll go busy myself with something else, then. I'm sure you don't... don't need me around bothering you," he said a started off the other direction.

Davis whipped around and suddenly caught Ken by his wrist. "No," he said flatly, before he continued on his way to the bedroom, pulling Ken along with him.

The pale boy gasped softly but allowed himself to be pulled by the other boy. "Davis..."

"Yes?" Davis responded, though he kept his eyes on the hallway ahead.

"Are you going to punish me?" he asked quietly.

"Maybe," was Davis' simple, irritatingly vague answer as they rounded a corner. "Maybe not." Ken just nodded silently. He knew if anything, that probably meant yes. When they got into the bedroom, Davis finally let Ken's wrist go. He closed the door and moved a once over to the bed, flopping down on his back. He watched Ken from across the room for a moment before silently asking him to come closer with a wave of his hand.

Ken tucked some hair behind his ear nervously before coming to stand beside the bed. "Yes...?"

"Take that shirt off."

His pale face turned pink. "Wh-What?"

"You heard me," Davis said, putting his hands behind his head. "Take your shirt off."

"O-O-Okay..." Ken's slender fingers wrapped around the hem of his shirt and slowly pulled the white fabric up over his head. At first he continued to hold the shirt in front of his body, but then he dropped it onto the floor. He was left standing there in the white boy shorts style underwear Davis had also given him. "How... How's this?" Davis watched this from his casually laid back position. He then slowly sat himself up, bloodshot eyes still on Ken as he rose. His hands then shot out and grabbed around Ken's waist, pulling him closer to the side of the bed. "Ah!" Ken gasped as he yanked forward, stumbling slightly over his own feet.

"You left a lot of marks on me once, Ken," Davis murmured, almost sounding entranced, leaning forward and suddenly taking a nip at the other boy's pale, exposed skin.

This time Ken yelped, but he didn't pull away. "I... I did..." he confessed. In Davis' mind, he was perfectly recalling the memory he'd witnessed the night before. By the end of it, he'd been covered in gashes, bruises, and bite marks. He grit his own teeth a bit at the thought, pinching a little at Ken's skin, before letting go of the now reddened bite mark and moving on to another part of Ken's stomach, doing the same, biting down and pulling a bit before he moved on, leaving marks all across his front. Davis even began to get up onto his knees as the marks went higher and higher. "Mmmn!" Ken whimpered at each bite. Each little spot was hot, speckling dark red where the blood teased just under the surface. It was only fair, he told himself. He had no right to fight back. If this was how he was to atone, then he would suffer at Davis' hand. "Ahn!" A painful cry was heard when pearly teeth broke skin just centimeters from one of the pink buds on his shuddering chest.

Davis heard the cry and pulled back slightly, licking blood from his teeth. "Does it bother you to be on the receiving end, Ken?" he asked in a low voice, as both of his hands came to lay on the other boy's sides, thumbs pressing up upon the strangely pert nubs, just to see his reaction.

Ken gasped in a high tone when Davis' thumbs pressed upon him like that. His own hands came up to grab those strong wrists, but he knew they wouldn't let go. "I... I deserve it," Ken answered with blazing cheeks and a trembling shake of his head.

"That's right," Davis purred. His thumbs began to move circularly as he pushed himself up onto his knees, moving his mouth instead to bite and suck at Ken's collarbone, and then the base of his neck.

"Ah... Ahh!" Ken's whole body began to shake and his legs failed him. Pale knees caught on the edge of the bed, the only thing really holding him up.

Davis' hands took hold on Ken's sides again and tossed him onto the bed. He moved to touch Ken again, but hesitated, a sick grin curling across his lips. "Tell me how much you missed this."

"Davis, this... this isn't what I enjoyed about our relationship..." Ken replied with a small voice.

"Unless my memories are messing with me..." Davis said lowly, grabbing Ken's chin and turning it up slightly. "This is largely what our relationship was."

"But I didn't like this part..."

"Not at all?" Davis pressed, his hand tightening a bit.

Ken whimpered. "Not when I was mean to you, no," he answered truthfully. "I only ever wanted to kiss you, hold you, be held by you... Touch, caress, feel, learn... But not this... I'm sorry."

"Then I'll do those things, too," Davis growled, pulling Ken's chin up closer so he could lock him into a kiss. Ken whimpered again. This wasn't what he wanted, but he wasn't going to fight, either. His guilt was too strong. Whatever Davis dished out, he deserved fully. It was only fair. It was only fair. It was only fair. Davis' hand gripped roughly, and he forced Ken's lips to part, pressing his fingers into the sides of his face until his mouth opened. When he felt those lips coming apart to let out a whimper of pain, his tongue roughly pushed inside the other boy's mouth. He choked and his first instinct was to bite down on that tongue. In fact, Ken's teeth came dangerously close to clamping, but he didn't. Ken stopped and forced his mouth back open to accept Davis' tongue and whatever he would choose to do with it. This didn't mean the boy stopped choking now and then. With that firm hand gripping his face like that, his muscles clenched back. Davis didn't seemed to be deterred by the choking sounds Ken was making. In fact, they made his lips curl up and made him press further, his tongue squirming through the other boy's mouth. But after a few moments, he pulled back, frowning a bit. "Are you just going to lay there like a corpse?"

There were tears in his soft indigo eyes. "I... I don't know what you want..."

"Make me feel good," Davis demanded lowly.

"I c-can't..."

"Why not?" Davis asked, eyes narrowing.

"Not like this..." Ken whimpered. "It's not right..."

Davis grit his teeth and let go of Ken's chin, throwing him back into the sheets. "Great," he murmured.

"Davis!" He wasn't going to just give up. "Wh-Why do you have to do it this way? There's no love in it like this. If you just tried..."

"Last night, you left me in the midst of my being whipped!" he snapped. "You left me because you tired of my screaming, like a mother that leaves their baby in a gutter!"

"I didn't!" Ken cried back. "I left when that Gatomon came in and turned on the lights! You were already sleeping soundly by then! I stayed with you the whole time!" Fresh tears filled his eyes. "I would never leave you during a nightmare! Never!"

"Lies!" Davis hissed. "You left and went downstairs to those horrible cells! You'd rather be in their cold, dirty depths than sleep next to me, is that it?" he pressed, putting his hands on the mattress on either side of Ken's head and leaning close to his face.

Ken stared back into those angry blood shot eyes. They weren't the same eyes anymore. He could hardly see Davis in them anymore. "No, that isn't true," he said softly, yet firmly. Ken sat up suddenly. His arms wrapped around Davis and pulled him close. He tucked that tired head beneath his chin, cradling that tense and angry body against his own, stroking his hand down clenched muscles. "You know what isn't true, Davis. I love you. Don't let Millenniummon make you forget that."

Davis didn't pull away, but he tensed even further, his hands making fists that shook a bit as he insisted, "He has nothing to do with this! This is between you and me. It would be the same even without him!"

"Would you really be this angry?" Ken asked gently. "Would you really be this full of hatred without him? I remember everything you did for me, Davis. Now I'm going to do everything I can." He kissed Davis' forhead softly; once, twice... "I will hold you all night and all day..." three, four... "if it means you might feel just a tiny bit safer..." five kisses.

Davis continued to shake, though if it was from anger or realization was difficult to tell. After a while, his tense body suddenly slumped into Ken. He kept shaking, though it seemed different as the shivers shook through a limp body. "You're annoying," he hissed with his final scrap of anger.

Ken just nodded. "I've been told that before," he replied. Ken leaned back against the pillows so that Davis was now lying with him comfortably. He searched his mind for memories of days long past when comfort was given to him by someone who could always make things better. Ken remembered a blue house coat and the smell of cookies. He remembered soft hands with round fingers that stroked his hair. He remembered the song she sang to him, and as the words came back, the tune was hummed in person by him. Davis quirked a brow when Ken began to hum. He didn't like it, at first. He even opened his mouth to snap angrily at the other boy to stop. But the words died in this throat, though he wasn't quite sure why. He just made a sound that showed he wasn't completely happy, even as he settled back in and closed his mouth, allowing Ken to continue. Ken knew what he was doing. To mimic a mother's love, it would sooth any savage beast. He would get through to Davis. "One soundless mid-day, the wind was so cheerful. Flower petals sway in the breeze as if they were sleepy." Another kiss to Davis' forehead as he pet cinnamon hair. "This serene feeling... Tell me, what's the word people use for it?" Ken sang it just as he remembered her doing for him.

Davis actually started to nod off as he listened to the song. Perpetually tired and starved of sleep, even a few seconds of being in a calm atmosphere could make him start to doze. However, he shook his head quickly, suddenly snapping to attention and gritting his teeth. "Stop trying to make me fall asleep," he growled. "I just got up!"

"But you won't have nightmares if someone sings you to sleep," Ken explained gently.

"But I'm not ready to sleep," Davis insisted with a shake of his head, even as a yawn broke through his lips. "I just woke up from a nightmare. I don't want to go back to sleep. I don't..."

"You won't have a nightmare, I promise," Ken said. Again he pet Davis' hair. "I'll only let you sleep for an hour. No more. Just try. When mama sang me to sleep, I never had bad dreams. It will work for you, Davis. If it doesn't, I'll... I'll make you feel good. Just like you wanted."

"You better promise me," Davis said firmly as another yawn broke through his lips. "If you go back on what you're saying now, I'll never forgive you."

"I..." Ken swallowed. No, he wouldn't make a mistake. "I promise."

"Good..." Davis words began to turn into mumbles. "You can... continue singing."

Ken nodded. "Tell me a story that's locked away in the white-sand moon. Let me hear it as gently as light shining down. Will the time come? When you will know the pain in my heart? Then you'd be able to be gentler than you are now." Ken adjusted Davis' body so the boy was lying more comfortable against him. "Such a warm feeling... Tell me, what's the name people give it? Softly, let me hear of the distant future, so bright it can't be seen, like a white-sand moon." Davis' eyelids drooped. He still fought against it even though he'd conceded to sleep, determined to wrestle with the urge until it finally overcame him. Finally, towards the end of the verse, his eyes closed and a final yawn emerged from his mouth. After that, stillness. He stopped his angry fidgeting and his growling and other displeased noises. It all faded away as he quietly succumbed to sleep. Determined to keep Davis' dreams safe and his sleep peaceful, Ken continued to hum even when the song was over. Again and again the verses were hummed in gentle, quiet tones. Not once did Ken stop his hand, either. At one point he even began to rock the boy held so lovingly against his body. As promised, an hour passed and Ken began to wake Davis up on the dot. "Davis... Davis..." he said quietly, giving the other a little shake. "Time to wake up." Davis groaned gently, his eyes squeezing shut before they opened. He looked around for a moment, before letting out what sounded like a relieved breath, his knees tilting in to each other. Ken smiled sweetly, comfortingly, also relieved. "You see? I made a promise and I kept it."

"Yeah, I didn't have a bad dream..." Davis murmured. Suddenly, he blushed darkly, biting his bottom lip as he said, "Actually, it was pretty good..."

Ken laughed slightly. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Davis said, letting out a bit of a saddened breath. "You woke me up just before the best part, though."

"Oh..." Ken looked a bit guilty. "I'm sorry. I just... I didn't want to risk you sleeping for too long and having a nightmare."

"I suppose it's for the best," Davis groaned. He considered sitting up, but his knees just pressed more closely together.

Without even asking permission or if his help was even needed, Ken slipped one of his hands along Davis' front and down inside his jeans. "I will... if you want..."

Davis seemed confused at first, but then gasped suddenly when Ken's hand unexpectedly found itself down his pants. His face screwed up a bit as he looked up at the other boy. "A… what, an hour ago? You wouldn't do anything. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Because... No one is forcing it this way. We're together being gentle. I'm holding you and you're relaxed."

Davis continued to stare with a quirked brow before he suddenly threw his head back and laughed. What he was laughing about seemed unclear, but he quickly quieted it down to an amused humming. "I think you're almost as complex now as you used to be," he commented, before rolling back his shoulders and giving a nod. "Go on, then."

Ken just nodded. It wasn't as complex as Davis thought it was, but there was no use in arguing. He curled his fingers around the large, ready length and began to pump slowly. "Faster?" he asked.

Davis groaned gently, knees pressing together again, though he eventually had to force them apart, though it took quite a bit of effort and a few more throaty sounds. Ken's question was met with an immediate, quick nodding. "Yes, faster," he breathed.

Ken complied with a swifter gesture of his hand. He began a pattern of stroking and squeezing. He would pull his hand down to the tip, release, and then grip at the base again where he squeezed firmly before stroking again with his fist. "Like that?"

"Nngh, yeah... n-not too hard," Davis gasped, his hands at his sides suddenly seeking something to hold onto, one finding Ken's nee and the other his thigh. His hands gripped tighter or loosened at the same time Ken's own grip adjusted, and when he squeezed the other boy's leg tightly, he often let out a sound, far more high-pitched and vulnerable sounding than he would have liked. He was sounding less like the new Davis and more like the old, younger, softer sounds escaping his lips as he tilted his head back and closed his eyes, breathing deeply and blushing the longer the pleasure continued.

"Here..." While still pleasuring Davis below, Ken used his free hand to turn the other boy's face toward his own. Soft pale lips pressed against dark moist lips in a gentle, loving kiss. It was the complete opposite of the forceful make out session Davis had conducted earlier. Ken hoped he could tell and appreciate the difference. Unfortunately, Davis didn't seem to grasp it. Like an over-stimulated child he grabbed at Ken's hair and pressed up into his lips far too hard, wanting him but not realizing that indulging in the pleasure didn't have to involve taking it forcefully. His grip and the kiss loosened and became gentler when Ken's hand gripped particularly hard, however, and made him gasp and shudder and fall back slightly into Ken's lap, fighting the urge to curl up. Ken hated to do it, but sometimes tough love was what it took. "Be gentle, Davis," he said firmly, yet quietly. "Like this..." And again he resumed the careful stroking of the other boy.

Davis' hands let go of Ken's hair, instead coming to lay on his marked up chest. "Nngh... b-but it's better rougher," he insisted through breathy moans.

"Why? How much more pleasure do you get from being a brute? You get the same affection either way, so wouldn't you want to be tender and loving with it?" Ken asked, taking some hope in the hand resting calmly on his chest.

"It's scary, but exhilarating," Davis breathed against Ken's chest. "Getting hurt in the midst of pleasure... It hurts so badly, but that's what makes it great," he said, toes curling as he hissed a bit. "You feel sensations from so many more parts of your body than just the standard... you can feel it from anywhere... It feels so good," he groaned, his calmly perched hands suddenly curling inward, scratching his nails down the already tortured skin. "And the sounds people make when hurt or hurting are... even more intense..."

Ken inhaled sharply, Davis' nails catching in bite wounds. "Davis... Davis, no... You know that's not right!"

"A feeling so intense it can create scars that numb away all the pain!" Davis suddenly gasped, closed eyes going wide and staring up at Ken. "Intimate situations so scary they force you to enjoy them or go mad!"

"But there don't have to be scars! There doesn't have to be pain!" Ken cried back. "You can feel just as good without all the torture. Remember... Remember the beach?"

Davis' eyes wavered slightly. He tried to recall what Ken was talking about, but there was a dark haze hanging over some of his memories. Things Millenniummon didn't want him to remember, things that would prove to him that he was wrong. "Wh-what beach?"

"The last time you were with the Kaiser," Ken said. "The last time you were intimate with him. You created the beach just for him. You took him out in the water. Don't you remember? Both of you... You laid in the waves and made love. Every move you made together was soft, slow, and gentle. You showed him the way love was supposed to be shared."

"You're making stuff up," Davis spat. He shook his head quickly, adamant refusal clearly painted upon it. Then his eyes glared up at Ken. "Are you going to finish or are you just keeping your hand warm now?"

"I'm sorry we couldn't love each other the same way at the same time, Davis..." Ken withdrew his hand. He wasn't about to feed the delusion Millenniummon had Davis trapped in. Even if it meant his own suffering, Ken refused to let Davis become a sex-crazed tyrant.

Davis' eyes narrowed a bit more, before he let out an annoyed huff and pushed Ken away, hurriedly sliding himself out of the other boy's lap. He inched over to the side of the bed, hunching up his shoulders as he embarrassedly fixed his pants and zippered them back up. "You say you'll do something, and then you stop," he growled at Ken as he fiddled with the button. "You're full of lies."

Ken shook his head. "It's not a lie. I was willing to do that for you if you were good, but then you turned mean, so I stopped. It's called conditional, not lying." All of a sudden, Davis spun around. The back of his hand collided with Ken's cheek with a harsh sound that practically echoed in the stark room. He breathed hard for a moment, feeling the tingle on the back of his hand, and then with a snarl, stood himself up and turned his back. "Ahh!" Ken let out a loud cry when Davis struck him. The blow sent him back, falling onto the bed where he crumpled helplessly. His small body curled into itself, his fingers gripping white sheets as he sobbed softly. A dark red mark had already formed on his cheek and it throbbed painfully. So... this must have been how Davis felt when the Kaiser would strike him. Davis didn't seem to bat an eye. He glanced back briefly, but with another indistinguishable sound, he'd headed for the door, closing it behind him with a loud, echoing, metallic slam.


	3. The Morning Star

Davis never got any better. Millenniummon's grip only became stronger, tightening his hold on the boy. Ken regretted not grabbing the egg first and taking that horrible demon of a Digimon back into his own body. The lights were out in the bedroom which meant Davis was finally asleep. Ken had sworn to stay with Davis all night every night, but tonight... He slipped out of the bed, biting back a cry at the shock of pain that shot up his spine when his feet met the floor. Davis had reached the end of his rope. His patience ran dry. Ken whimpered, feeling the blood and liquid sticky white trickle down his legs. Davis had been so rough. He tore Ken all over again. Deep. That thing he used... it made the pale boy choke on thin bile to think about it. Wrapped in a sheet, Ken wandered the halls of the Haven, trying to find an escape. At least a moment's peace.

Despite the citadel's new name, it was anything but a safehaven. The chambers below, the jail cells, had been changed, turned white and gold like most everything else, but it was just a coat of paint. Howls of Digimon from below echoed through the otherwise pristine halls, shaking the normally calm, serene image that the place gave off during the daytime. A chorus of tortured voices that would soon be joined by Davis' own once he fell into yet another dream.

Ken pressed his hands over his ears. Such horrible, sad, painful sounds... This wasn't what was supposed to happen! Everything was supposed to be better! Davis was supposed to set the Digimon free, not lock them up. Ken stumbled along, fighting back tears. Why did he have to be so weak? Davis survived his time under the Digimon Kaiser with strength and determination. But Ken was no match for the Digimon Messiah. A bright silver light flooded his vision as Ken tumbled out of a door he didn't even mean to walk through. Wet indigo eyes looked up to see a huge full moon hanging in the sky, its light washing over the scenery created by Davis' own hand.

The barren desert had been replaced, completely washed over by a dream-like mist. it hung low to the ground, covering the moonlit ground in rolling, silver clouds. A gold gate seperated the door to the Haven and the world outside, but it creaked open when someone from the inside was attempting to get out, allowing Ken passage out into the endless field of white. The only break in the clouds was a pond which flowed from a waterfall, its thundering crashes only a murmur from far away. Just far enough away to hear not the waterdall itself, but the soft babbling the pond created. A cool mist hung over the water as the clouds spilled over into its depths. Crowded around the pond were a group of Liollmon. Once endangered, they now thrived in Davis' newly created world, though they lived with golden collars around their necks that caused their blue eyes to glow, piercing through the otherwise dimly lit night. Other Holy Digimon that Davis had approved of wandered about outside. Though aimless and brainwashed, they also lived without the threat of predators or violence.

Heaven. It was like Heaven, and it made Ken's heart break. What kind of heaven kept its creatures locked away, crying and mourning their loss of freedom? What kind of heaven was ruled by an unjust god who chose favor with some but not others? What kind of heaven was ruled by a god with a cruel hand? This was no heaven. It was a false paradise. A fallen Eden. The serpent had found its way into the garden and corrupted Adam. Ken couldn't help a puff of laughter. So... was he Eve, then? Staring down his reflection with pale skin, long hair, and white sheet gown, he might as well be. Too bad this Eve couldn't save his Adam.

"Why so down?" a voice suddenly asked. A small Digimon appeared next to Ken in the reflection, flitting about above his shoulder. It was a tiny, white Digimon with a simple body, much like Chibimon's, though he was devoid of any blue markings and was only a simple, pure white. Plus, instead of ears, he had a horn growing in the center of his forehead. He also had little pink claws and golden wings. Though he wore four of Davis' holy rings, around both his wrists and both of his ankles, he didn't seem to be affected by them at all, because his eyes were a normal, curious gold.

"My friend is sick," Ken said, fighting back tears, "and I can't help him."

"That's too bad," the Digimon hummed, flitting over to the other side of Ken's head. "What's wrong with him?"

Ken wiped his eyes. "He's possessed by a demon."

"A demon, huh?" the Digimon murmured. "There's no demons left here," he said, spreading his little hands as wide as he could to gesture to the world around him.

"There's one," Ken replied. "Millenniummon. He's the demon possessing my friend."

"Millenniummon..." the Digimon landed on Ken's shoulder, grinning a tiny, toothy grin. "Would you happen to be talking about the Digimon Messiah?"

The pale boy nodded. "I suppose that's what everyone calls him now, but... I still call him Davis."

"Hm..." The Digimon made a thoughtful noise, like he was intriguied by the information. "Tell me about him. Not as the Messiah, but as this... Davis."

"He was a much kinder person," Ken began. He lowered himself to the ground, finding the earth to be just as hard as it once was beneath the cover of clouds. He dipped his fingers into the pool to distort his sad reflection. "He was much more playful, too. Davis was sweet and gentle, but could be brave and strong when he needed to be. He didn't have such a short temper, in fact... He had the patience of a saint."

"And when he has assumed an appropriate position for that saintly patience, it all but fizzled out, didn't it?" the little In-Training Digimon asked, talking into Ken's ear so his tiny, quiet voice could be heard. "What else happened?"

Ken nodded weakly. "He has no tolerance for anything anymore. I try to make him happy, but nothing is ever good enough. He started getting angry about everything. He yells at me, beats me, and he... he..." Ken's slender body shivered, unable to finish the sentence. "I feel so helpless..."

"It seems you're expending your effort on a lost cause," the Digimon suggested. "Maybe you should save yourself."

"I can't just leave him," Ken returned. "I can't atone for my own sins by taking the easy way out. I can only save myself by saving him."

"If you die without getting help, there will be no one left to save him," the Digimon countered right back.

Ken hesitated. "He'll hate me if I abandon him..."

"Would the real Davis have wanted you to go through this?" the Digimon asked, continuing to egg Ken on.

"Well, no, but..."

"No buts," the Digimon hummed. "Listen to Cupimon, he knows all about affairs of the heart. I think if you truly care for him, you should adhere to his true wishes. Doesn't that seem like what he'd want you to do?"

"He..." Ken gripped the sheet over his heart. "He might get worse if I leave."

"Is he getting any better while you stay?" Cupimon asked.

"I can't let Millenniummon overtake him!" Ken cried and shook his head. "If I leave, any shred of Davis' humanity will be lost!"

"And if you stay, he will continue to hurt and abuse you until there is nothing left of you. And then no one will be left to save him. He will lose his humanity and you will lose your life."

Ken suddenly broke out into sobs. He buried his face in his hands and cried heavily into them. "I need help! Davis needs help! I'm scared!"

Cupimon lifted his tiny hand, weighed down with holy rings that didn't work, and pat the shoulder he sat upon. "I would help you, but I can't. I'm just a little baby Digimon... I wish I was big and strong so I could help you, but I can't. And every other Digimon is either mind controlled or locked away." He suddenly jumped up off of Ken's shoulder, his tiny wings flapping quickly like a hummingbird's as he floated in front of the crying boy. "But you can get help. It's waiting for you to call upon it. But you won't find it in the Digital World."

Wait a minute... Cupimon was right, at least about one thing. "Why..." he asked and slowly looked up, "why aren't you under his control?"

"I must be special," Cupimon said with a shrug. "The Messiah put one on me, but nothing. Two, the same. Three? Four? Nada. He figured I must be so pure and good that I don't need the rings!" he giggled as he rounded Ken's head, wiping away his tears with his tiny tail as he passed the boy's face. "And it's true. Cupimon only wants to help."

"Where are the other Cupimon?" Ken asked next. He might not be a genius anymore, but the boy wasn't stupid, either.

"It's just me," Cupimon said with a quiet sigh. "All the others Digivolved to Kudamon a long time ago. There aren't many of us, so I'm the only one that's still an In-Training."

"But... the Kudamon I've seen are under control of rings. What makes you so special?"

Cupimon gave another shrug. "I told you, I'm just too good! I don't even need the rings! But I humbly allowed them to stay on, even though they don't do anything," he said, turning one so it glinted in the moonlight.

Ken turned his face away, the gleam of the ring hurting his eyes. "I still don't think I should leave... I might not be able to get back."

"Cupimon can help with that!" The Digimon said with a wide, toothy grin. "I know where there's a gate!"

The boy shook his head. "The only gate is in the Haven."

"Wrong-o," Cupimon said, flipping over his own heels in mid-air. "The Messiah accidentally ripped open a new gate while he was making the landscape. He hid it behind a waterfall."

"Even so..." Ken said warily, "I don't know where it leads to. I could end up in Africa or Russia."

"Gates that are opened by Digimon or humans don't just go anywhere. They only go to places of significance. That's why when Digimon opened Digital Gates back in the day in order to terrorize certain cities, they always ended up in the city they wanted. This gate most definitely goes to somewhere of importance to the Messiah. All the more reason to cover it up!"

"Somewhere of importance?" Ken thought about this. Either the gate led to the river or... "Taichi..."

"Taichi?" Cupimon asked, tilting his head. "Does this Taichi live in a big building with lots of other people?"

Ken nodded slightly. "A dorm... An apartment, yes."

"That must be what I saw through the gate, then!" Cupimon said with an affirmative nod. "A big apartment building!"

Ken looked pensive for a moment. "Davis did say... he wanted me to go there if he turned dangerous..."

"Did he?" Cupimon asked, flitting around Ken's head a few more times, circling him as he asked, "Then why haven't you?"

"Because he never really hurt me, not until tonight," Ken answered, "but still... I deserved it."

"Even still, if he wanted you to leave when it got dangerous..." Cupimon looked around and then frowned slightly. "You should have been long gone, if you honored what he asked of you."

"I can't just up and leave, though," the boy insisted. "I should at least tell Davis I'm going. He'll be really upset if I abandon him all of the sudden. He... He has a hard time with me disappearing..."

"If he has a hard time with you leaving, do you really think telling him is a good idea?" Cupimon asked. "Think about it... he'll want to keep you here. He might hurt you again or even lock you up with the Digimon."

Fresh tears came to Ken's eyes. "He'll hate me, though..."

"What's worse?" Cupimon asked. "Him hating you, or him never getting help?"

"So... So, what?" Ken looked up at the innocent-looking Digimon. "I'm just supposed to go? Now? Just like that?"

"Well... I'd put something on first," Cupimon suggested. "But yeah, that's your best bet, if you don't want to get hurt anymore."

Ken looked over his shoulder. "Davis will probably catch me if I go back, but I suppose there's no other way."

"Don't you have anything you need to get, anyway?" Cupimon asked. "Anything sentimental? You may not be able to get back into the Haven next time you come to the Digital World."

"Of course, I can't leave Wormmon behind," Ken said. "And... I guess I should take Pinamon with me, too."

Cupimon nodded. "I'll show you where the gate is," he offered. "Just meet me back out here."

"A-All right..." Ken stood, fixing the sheet around himself, and walked back to the Haven. Inside, he crept as silently as he could. He would get Wormmon first. Ken snuck into the Digimons' room and knelt down in front of the nest. "Wormmon," Ken whispered and pet his Digimon's head. "Wormmon..."

Wormmon woke with a quiet stir, looking up at his boy. His eyes took a minute to adjust to the dark before they suddenly widened, instantly picking up on the pain hidden in Ken's expression. "Ken... Ken, are you hurt?" he whispered worriedly, instantly getting himself up.

Ken smiled weakly. "Nothing I won't recover from, but... Wormmon, we're leaving tonight. R-Right now, actually."

"Right now?" Wormmon asked, antenna twitching. "Well... alright, if you think that's best, Ken," the Digimon murmured, having no reason to ever question his boy now.

The boy nodded, still with that weak smile. "I'm afraid Davis is gone... I thought I could help keep him sane, but..." Ken looked away in shame. "He raped me tonight. That's when I knew he wasn't Davis anymore. I... I have to find help elsewhere."

"Oh, Ken... I knew something terrible had happened," Wormmon murmured, antenna drooping now. He wished he was big enough to hug the boy, but all he could manage was a gentle stroke of his finger with tiny, rounded claws. "Let's get you out of here quickly, then."

Ken nodded. "I need my clothes. Will you wake Pinamon, too? We're taking him with us. Meet me in the hall, okay?"

"Okay," Wormmon said with his own affirmative nod. It wasn't long before he was out in the hallway with a sleepy Pinamon at his side.

"Where are we going?" the little feathered Digimon squeaked.

"We're going back to the real world," Wormmon explained.

"What about Chibimon?"

"I... don't think he's coming with us."

Ken emerged from the room a few moments later. All he wore was the white shirt and shorts Davis allowed him. Haunting reflections of the boy's time in the psych ward. Ken's face was laced with emotional pain, tears streaming down his face as he held in vocal sobs. In the room, Davis was screaming. Another nightmare had come to torture him and Ken was going to run away. "Maybe..." the pale boy began, looking back into the room, "maybe I can just hold him until the dream ends..."

"Ken..." Wormmon pleaded, inching over to the boy and tugging on his socks. "If you stay until he wakes up, he won't let you leave. You have to go, before he hurts you again..." Davis' screeching voice hit a fever pitch and the bed squeaked loudly from within as his body twisted and turned upon it. Wormmon's pleas were but whispers amongst chaos. "Please, Ken... Let's go..."

Ken's hands were pressed firmly against his ears, eyes squeezed shut, and his teeth clenched against choking sobs. Why? Why? Why did he feel like that bad guy? Davis needed him! Davis was scared. Davis was in pain. Davis was all alone. "Wormmon... Wormmon, I don't know what to do..."

"You know what you have to do, Ken! Don't let the guilt get to you just because we happen to leave at the wrong time!" Wormmon begged. "If we were leaving during the day, you wouldn't feel this way! We'd be able to get you to a safe place and it wouldn't be a problem. Feeling bad for him is only going to bring you more pain!" Taking a deep breath, Ken picked up both Wormmon and Pinamon, and ran as fast as he could. He ran through the halls, through doors, down the stairs, and out the gate. He ran crying and shaking with a breaking heart. This wasn't right... This wasn't right... He should stay. He has to stay... But he can't. Ken made it to the water's edge where he fell to his knees, clutching the Digimon to his chest and sobbing. Pinamon and Wormmon looked up at Ken with expressions of pity painted across their faces. There was nothing either of them felt they could do or say that would make this any easier for the boy. The fact of the matter was that without the Kaiser, Ken was a boy full of kindness who felt horrid abandoning anyone like this. And on top of that, he also loved Davis so deeply. But the time when the other boy loved him and when his love became pure were just not meant to overlap.

"Are you ready to go?" Cupimon's voice came from behind him, fluttering over his shoulder. Ken gasped softly. He'd almost forgotten about the little angel Digimon. Ken opened his mouth to say yes, but the word never came. To say as much was a horrible, ill-fitting lie. So he just hung his head submissively. "Then let's go!" Cupimon urged, flying over to Ken's other shoulder before pointing up the river. "We need to get to the source, the waterfall!" Wormmon and Pinamon both eyed the other Digimon suspiciously, and started to quietly speculate with each other, whispering back and forth. It was obvious from Wormmon's expression that he didn't like this random Digimon bossing Ken around. Ken got to his feet and moved silently in the direction Cupimon pointed him. His eyes just looked down, watching the clouds that were only a foot or two in front of him. Cupimon's singing little voice was the only thing that guided him. He felt numb and empty the further he went.

"It'll get better, Ken," Wormmon murmured, trying to brighten his boy's spirits, as obvious as it was that they were quite broken. "We'll get the help of the other chosen children and we'll fix Davis. And then none of this will be a problem anymore, you'll see."

"None of this would have happened if it wasn't for me," Ken mumbled. "Everyone was right. It should have been me instead of Osamu. If I had died, I never would have gotten so angry. I would have never become the Kaiser. Davis wouldn't be like this."

"Ken..." Wormmon whispered brokenly. He hated to see him like this.

"Here we are!" Cupimon chirped, cutting straight into the moment. "Look!" he said, brandishing his tiny pink claws to point at the waterfall that now crashed before them. He then began to trace a path up the rocks with the finger he pointed with. "Climb up the rocks and behind the waterfall, and the gate's right there!"

Ken looked up the path Cupimon traced for him. "All the way up there?" he asked skeptically.

"It's not that high," Cupimon said with a pout. "C'mon, I'll show you! You can see the gate from the ground if you stand at just the right angle!" He swooped towards the rocks, landing on one of the lower ones and starting to hop back and forth until his golden eyes lit up. He then waved for Ken to join him. "Look, straight up from here. See that glowing thingy?"

Ken still didn't like how far up he had to go. "Maybe I should just use the portal in the Haven," he said a bit nervously. "That climb looks kind of dangerous."

"Don't worry!" Cupimon said, starting to spin his hand around. Soon, a ring of glowing golden light emerged from his hands. "I can use my Angel Ring to catch you if you fall!"

That still didn't make him feel any better about it, but Ken got the feeling Cupimon wasn't going to let him back down now. "Will you two be able to hold onto my shoulders?"

"We'll be fine," Wormmon said with a nod, getting up onto Ken's right shoulder.

"And we'll sit still, promise!" Pinamon added as he clambered up onto the left.

Ken nodded. "All right... here we go, then..." He grabbed the first set of rocks and pulled himself up, finding some decent footing to move up from. Ken made fairly good progress, if not slow. He wasn't nearly as strong as the climb demanded. A little more than halfway up, the boy's arms were shaking, his fingers pretty torn up, and his chest aching. "I-It's too high..."

"C'mon!" Cupimon suddenly growled. He flew up to where Ken was struggling quickly, and picked him up in his Angel Ring, almost like scooping a fish up into a bag. He then proceeded to begin his flight upwards, high-speed towards the gate, much faster than might be expected from a tiny little Digimon with even smaller little wings that flapped furiously to lift them all.

"Ah! You're going too fast!" Ken cried, fearing he might be launched into the air if Cupimon were to come to a sudden halt. "Why are you so insistent about this?"

"Cupimon just wants to make sure everything goes smoothly!" the Digimon giggled, slowing down just enough to dart in behind the waterfall, bringing them to a halt in front of a large, glowing portal. On the other side of the portal was an apartment building, portrayed in the swirling vortex, but...

"So that's Taichi's house, then?" Wormmon asked quietly.

"That's not Taichi's house!" Pinamon cried.

"In you go!" Cupimon chirped with a toothy grin, tossing them all head-first into the digital gate.

"No!" Ken screamed just as he passed through the gate and Cupimon vanished.

The apartment building on the other side of the gate was the farthest place from where he needed to be. Ken cried out as he was practically thrown through a computer screen that was located on a desk in a room in an apartment in that building. He and the Digimon collided with the blond kid sitting there doing research. Blue eyes blinked and then widened when he realized what had happened. "I-I-Izzy!" Willis cried and he scrambled up off the floor and out into the living room. "Izzy! Izzy! Some kid just... just... Fell out of my computer!"

Izzy looked up from his own work with a quirked brow. "Willis, have you gotten enough sleep?" he asked, at once simply assuming the other boy was, for lack of a better word, going nuts.

"It happened!" Terriermon exclaimed, suddenly swooping out of the room and landing on top of the blond's head.

"Someone's lying on the floor and he's got two Digimon with him!" His twin brother, Lopmon added, as he came to hang off of Willis' shoulder.

"Two Digimon?" Izzy murmured, setting his laptop off to the side and standing up. He then went to peer into the room, his brown eyes widening when he saw Ken, Wormmon, and Pinamon lying in a heap on their floor.

"You see?" Willis said defensively. "I was just doing research for my dissertation when suddenly the three of them just burst out of my computer!"

Ken pushed himself up with a quiet moan. His head hurt... Indigo eyes then looked up to see a blond and a redhead staring at him from across the room. No way this was Taichi. While Willis was a total stranger, Ken thought maybe he recognized Izzy from someplace, but it was such a long time ago... Suddenly he was crying. "Now I'll never help Davis!" he sobbed into his hands.

"Should I call 911?" Willis whispered.

"No, wait..." Izzy whispered back, waving his hand. "Did... did you just say Davis?" Izzy asked, raising his voice so he could be heard over Ken's loud sobbing.

Ken looked up, eyes puffy and cheeks soaked. "Davis. He's my friend. He... He's in trouble and I was supposed to get help from a man named Taichi. Only now..." He hiccupped and started crying again. "I don't know where I am!"

"That's two Digidestined names," Izzy murmured, finally building up the nerve to step out of the doorway and head into the room, coming to sit on his knees in front of the other boy. "Okay, calm down," he said, waving his hands a bit, obviously not very good at being comforting. "First of all, Taichi lives in Japan. Right now, you're in Colorado."

"C-C-Colo...rado?" Ken looked up again. "Like... In America?"

"Yes, in America," Izzy said, nodding. "You're a long shot from Japan."

"Look at the Digimon with him!" Terriermon prompted from atop Willis' head.

"I've never seen them before!" Lopmon agreed. "Who are you guys?"

"I'm Wormmon," the green Digimon introduced.

"I'm Pinamon!" the bird Digimon chirped.

"That name sounds familiar..." Izzy murmured, looking down at the little bird. "Oh, I remember!" he said, suddenly snapping his fingers. "Taichi told me a Digimon called Pinamon came through the digital gate with Davis when he came to the real world!"

"Please... Please, I need to get to Japan. I have to see Taichi. He's the only one who can help me!" Ken begged.

"What on earth is going on in here?" Tentomon buzzed as he came into the room, curious about the commotion. The red insect gasped in alarm when he saw the human in front of Izzy. He looked different, but Tentomon would know him anywhere. "Izzy, get away! He's the Digimon Kaiser!" Without wasting any time, his antennae began charging for his Super Shocker attack.

Ken sat there wide-eyed and terrified, only able to wait for the electricity to strike. "Sticky Net!" Wormmon had acted quickly, shooting a net at Tentomon that fell over his head, pinning back his antenna before he could attack.

"Please stop!" Pinamon begged, leaping between the two of them before any more attacks could be fired. "This is a huge misunderstanding!"

Tentomon was clumsily trying to pick the webbing off his head with his claws. "No one would defend the Kaiser willingly like that," he said. "Izzy, they must have Dark Rings on them somewhere!"

Willis was watching all of this with the most confused look on his face. Wormmon? Pinamon? Digimon Kaiser? What the hell was going on? It seemed at this rate, however, they weren't going to get any answers. "Kokomon," he whispered to his brown and pink partner. "Use your Blazing Ice to freeze all their feet to the floor. We need to stop this now or we're going to have a big shoot out on our hands."

"Um, that might work in movies, Willis, but freezing people's feet actually hurts real bad," Lopmon said.

"Kokomon..." Willis sighed.

Izzy had shuffled over on his knees to help pick the webbing off of his Digimon. "I don't think so, Tentomon," Izzy said, speaking gently and softly to his Digimon in hopes of calming him down. "If I remember correctly, Digimon that were under the Kaiser's control had glowing red eyes. Neither of them have that." The redhead glanced over at the three newcomers to their house as he managed to tear the web enough for the rest to fall to the floor. "I think there's a deeper story here that we all need to hear before we start jumping to conclusions." He then got to his feet and offered his hand to help Ken up. "Come on, let's all go sit down and get this figured out."

Tentomon shook himself once free from the webbing. While Izzy's words rang true, he still didn't like having the Digimon Kaiser in their home. It reeked of bad luck for everyone. Not the kind of Digimon to disobey, though, he held back his attack, but kept a close eye on the pale boy. Ken took the offered hand, squeezing it weakly as he stood. "Please, I'm sorry, but..." he swallowed."I'm really thirsty."

Izzy, not feeling threatened by the boy shaking and sobbing on his floor, regardless of who his Digimon said he was, nodded and offered a friendly shake of the head before letting Ken stand on his own. "Go have a seat in the dining room, I'll get you something." Soon enough, Izzy had them all seated at the chairs around the dining room table, though Terriermon, Lopmon, Wormmon, and Pinamon all found themselves sitting on the table due to their small statures and lack of chairs. Izzy brought Ken a glass of water before sitting himself at one side of the table, Ken across from him and Tentomon and Willis on either of his sides. Soon enough, all eyes were trained on Ken, waiting for his explanation of what exactly was going on.

Ken took a few shaky sips of water. The cool liquid felt good on his soar, cracked throat. When he realized everyone was waiting, he took a deep breath and began. "My name is Ken Ichijouji. I used to be the Digimon Kaiser," he confessed quietly. "A long time ago, when I was a small child, I was infected by an evil Digimon named Millenniummon. He is the most powerful Digimon there is. Over time, his infection changed my personality and turned me into the Kaiser. When the Chosen Children began fighting me, I kidnapped Davis in order to torture him." Ken shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I ended up keeping Davis under mind control for four years. Finally, due to my human side coming back out, I released him. Eventually he escaped back into the real world. I don't really know what happened to him while he was here. All I remember is Millenniummon taking full control of me. Millenniummon was going to be reborn and lead a Digimon revolution against the real world. Through some very strange internal means, I gave birth to his egg. That's when the Kaiser in me died. The egg started to hatch sooner than we thought. Davis, doing what he thought was best, broke the egg and took the infection himself." Ken lowered his head now, speaking sadly. "He started to change quickly. Davis calls himself the Digimon Messiah now. He thinks he's fixed everything, but it's just as awful. I finally reached a point where I had to run. Davis told me that if something bad happened, I was supposed to go see Taichi. Cupimon said he'd found a gate that would take me there, but he lied. So... Here I am."

His story left shocked expressions across the board. Izzy, who'd known part of the story, but not the latter developments, had gasped quietly when Ken disclosed the nature of their newest threat, Davis himself, and now had a hand over his mouth. Terriermon and Lopmon, both of which had never been involved in the Kaiser struggle, both just looked very interested and still a little confused. But by looking over at Izzy and Tentomon, they could tell they weren't supposed to press further. "We need help from the chosen children," Pinamon added to add a final point on to the story. Izzy moved his hands away from his face, swallowing dryly and nodding in agreement. "We need to get back together... this is a lot worse than I thought it was. Taichi was so convinced Davis was going to be able to handle the situation on his own..."

"You know I'm coming too," Willis said determinedly. "I met Davis once. He was a really great guy. To think something like this happened to him... I want to be there to do what I can."

After telling the story, after getting the truth out, after hearing all of it himself... Ken felt the slightest bit of relief. Finally... Finally they would get help. There was the faintest of smiles on his lips. "Davis... I'll come back for you..." With the relief came the realization of exhaustion, and that's when Ken so unwillingly collapsed over the table.


	4. Getting the Team Together

Before anything could happen, there had to be a lot of talks. Izzy had to make phone calls and sit down and talk to Tentomon and Willis. Through all of it, Ken wound up staying at their apartment for an entire day and two nights. It wasn't until the second night that Izzy told the boy that they'd be leaving for Japan in the morning. A few bags with bare necessities were packed, and the morning after, Ken, Izzy, Willis, and the Digimon were all on a plane heading for Japan, with a small detour to New York. "Why are we going there?" Wormmon had asked when the pilot had announced their destination.

"We need to pick someone up," Izzy responded, as they settled into their seats. It was a small, almost private plane, save for the stewardesses. Thanks to a few connections, they'd managed to get their own flight, and it was a good thing, too. Bringing the Digimon onto a public flight would not have been a good idea.

Ken looked out the window, watching the ground get smaller as they took off. "You didn't mention stopping in New York before." His hands wrung around the seatbelt. "We can't be wasting time. Not when Davis is..."

"I'm sorry," Izzy said with a frown. Because the plane was so small, they were all seated across from each other, with a table nailed down in the center of the cabin. "But we're going to need all of the chosen kids with us. We just need to land briefly to pick up someone at the air port, and then we'll be back on our way to Japan."

"You... You promise?" Ken asked, his eyes big and pleading.

"I promise," Izzy said with a bit of a nervous laugh. Even though Izzy had never actually seen Ken as the Kaiser, he'd heard so much about him. But getting to know Ken over the past day had just shown that he was nothing like he was. "We just need to pick up Mimi and Palmon and then the plane will get en route to Japan."

Willis leaned over and began speaking to Izzy in English, very much on purpose, as he looked briefly over at Ken. "Are you sure it's a good idea bringing him along? If you ask me, he's in too deep emotionally. I mean... This kid could become a liability, you know?"

"If it weren't for him, we wouldn't even know what was going on," Izzy responded. His English was still shaky and accented, but he was at least fluent after all of the time he'd spent in America. "And there's probably even more that we don't know that we would never figure out without his help. Besides..." the redhead then gestured to Wormmon slightly, as the little green Digimon hopped into Ken's lap. "He's a Digidestined, isn't he?"

"They're talking about me..." Ken murmured to Wormmon.

Willis looked over at the two and made a strange face. "Well, yeah, but anybody on a team can mess up. Cops excuse themselves from cases all the time because they have too much personal stake in it. Ken might be the same way. I'm just saying we should probably be careful."

"Well Ken, we did sort of just fall out of their computer the other day. They have every reason not to be completely invested in our arrival," Wormmon said, patting his boy's hand with a tiny claw.

In the same way, Izzy touched the back of Willis' hand in an attempt to be reassuring. "We'll talk about this with everyone later, Willis."

"I... not trouble," Ken suddenly said in English, his tone firmer than it had been in a long time.

Willis looked up, his expression one of surprise. "Excuse me?"

Ken swallowed. "I not trouble in Davis plan," he said. While he hadn't understood but maybe three words between Willis and Izzy, he knew exactly what the blond was saying about him. "I -eh... I best to help," he finished decidedly with a nod.

Izzy cast Willis a knowing look before looking back to Ken and bowing his head, both in apology and understanding. "Thank you," he said, switching back to speaking Japanese. "And sorry."

Ken bowed his head in return, appreciating Izzy. "Thank you. I know you think I might compromise any plan you come up with, but if I thought I could save Davis on my own, I wouldn't be here."

Willis sighed nodded while rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, that's true. I'm sorry."

The plane cabin fell into a loaded silence, the Digimon looking back and forth between the three boys, who, despite their accepted apologies, still seemed a bit tense. Attempting to lighten the mood, Terriermon suddenly tugged on Willis' sleeve. "Willis? Is there food on this flight?"

"Food? Sure." Willis gestured to a small fridge in the corner of the cabin. "The bar should have sodas and snacks in it. Izzy, you want anything?"

"I'm fine," Izzy said with a smile. Terriermon and Lopmon, however, squealed excitedly and jumped down from their seats to go raid the little fridge.

Ken watched the twins raid the bar, throwing fruit from its contents in search of more candy-like treats. Getting up, he picked a banana up from the floor and returned to his seat with it. "Here, Wormmon..." Ken peeled back the skin and broke a piece off for his Digimon to nibble on and then took a bite for himself. "Good?"

"Mhm," Wormmon said, his antenna twitching happily as he nibbled on the bannana piece. Suddenly, Pinamon made a baby-like whining sound and lifted his tiny clawed hands into the air, bouncing a bit next to Ken's leg as he tried to grab at the fruit.

"Oh!" Ken leaned over to pick Pinamon up, hushing the little bird apologetically, and cradling it in his arm. Another piece of the banana was broken off and then fed to Pinamon.

Willis watched this and leaned over to the redhead again. "He's really... sweet with them, isn't he?"

It showed on Izzy's face that he didn't much like talking about Ken behind his back, but at least this time, it was positive. "Yeah..." he started with a nod, as he watched Pinamon's feathers ruffle happily as he nibbled the banana Ken held between his fingers."He really is. He's not at all like I imagined... not anymore, I suppose." He then frowned gently, leaning back a bit. "It makes me worried about how Davis is now."

The blond nodded. "The weird thing is, I can't even see him being evil. I mean I met the guy once. He doesn't have a single mean bone in his body. Maybe some arrogant ones, but not mean. If this kid did such a huge 180 under the control of this... spore, then I hate to think how Davis ended up."

"He really was the last person I'd think of as being able to harbor demons," Izzy said with an agreeing nod. He was half tempted to simply ask Ken to explain to them what Davis was like now, but he held his tongue. Ken seemed to be calmer now, feeding Wormmon and Pinamon, occupying his mind with something other than everything that had befell him a few days ago. Izzy didn't want to bring that up again until they absolutely had to. If Ken's story was completely true, then he deserved a bit of a rest. "I guess we'll find out soon enough."

About five hours later, the chime sounded to let everyone know they needed to be seated and secure for the landing. Ken opted to stay on the plane while Izzy and Willis went to get Mimi. He didn't really know the girl, nor did he feel like getting lost in the airport. "I hope she's not another American," he said tiredly. "I don't want more of them saying things I don't understand."

"Even if she isn't, if she lives in New York, she probably speaks English," Wormmon said.

When Izzy and Willis got back, they were joined by a girl with bright pink hair and a plant-like Digimon. "Mimi, Palmon, this is Ken, Wormmon, and Pinamon," Izzy introduced.

Obviously Mimi had already been told all about Ken, because she just offered him a pearly smile and a hand to shake. "Nice to meet you," she said in a bubbly voice as Palmon greeted Wormmon and Pinamon, shaking large, leafy hands with tiny claws.

"H-Hi..." Ken replied shyly and shook her hand.

Willis grabbed another soda from the fridge. "They have to refuel the plane before we take off. It's an overnight flight, so everyone should get comfortable. Luckily the seats recline and we'll get pillows and blankets for sleeping."

"What do we do when we get to Japan?" Ken asked.

"You said you needed to see Taichi, right?" Izzy said. "Then we'll go straight to Taichi's house. If he doesn't want us staying over, it won't be too much trouble for us to stay with my family. We have a few futons..."

"Palmon and I could stay at Joe's house," Mimi said with a giggle as she fell back onto a chair.

Izzy just coughed a bit. "Yeah, you could do that." Willis elbowed Izzy with a small, jealous frown.

"And the other Chosen Children?" Ken went on to ask.

Izzy shrugged his shoulders up a bit apologetically as he looked at Willis, and then fixed his posture as he turned back to Ken. "All of the rest of them still live relatively close together, so they can meet us at Taichi's once we get there."

"And we'll decide what to do, right?" he asked with a nod of his head.

"Oh my gosh, yes," Willis said, his tone more snappish than he'd meant to let out. Ken looked at the blond with hurt eyes at first, but then he just frowned, got up, and moved with his Digimon to the seat farthest away from the others. "Oops..."

"Willis," Izzy hissed, now elbowing the other boy back with a disapproving frown. Mimi and Palmon watched with confused expressions as Ken moved away. There was a moment of silence before Izzy prodded Willis again. "Go apologize," he urged.

Willis bit his lip but knew Izzy was right. With a guilty sigh he went to stand beside Ken's chair. "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

Ken continued to look down while petting Wormmon's back. "I just want to help Davis."

"And I get that, I do," Willis insisted. "Davis is my friend too. I'm just as-"

"I love him."

Blue eyes stared strangely for a second. "What?"

Ken finally looked up. "I love Davis. We can't be together until he's free."

"O-Oh..."

"Ken," Wormmon said suddenly, looking up at the boy with surprised eyes. Ken had been so hesitant to even seek the help of the other chosen children. He hadn't expected him to want to say anything like that to them, and was a little concerned with whether or not ken really should have been disclosing that.

"Well... Well I'm sorry for being so short with you before... Yeah..." Willis rubbed the back of his neck again, backing up and then going to sit with Izzy again. Wormmon looked up at Ken, still warbling concernedly. Izzy also gave Willis a strange frown when he saw the other boy's shaken expression. "We might have a problem," Willis finally said, albeit quietly.

"How's that?" Izzy asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.

"I'm not judging him, okay?" Willis began, "but Ken just said he's in love with Davis. Talking about being together and everything. I said it before, but... He may be too deep in this emotionally, Izzy."

"Willis..." Izzy had taken a moment to consider what the other boy had said, but finally shook his head. "If you don't give him a chance to prove that he's going to actually help, we can't know what he's going to do. Give him a chance, first." The redhead smiled, looking a little weary. "How would you feel if you were in this situation, and were barred from helping?"

Willis hung his head. "It'd be like torture."

"Exactly," Izzy said, nodding to himself. "We'll see what everyone else says, but... he deserves a chance."

Willis smiled at the other boy. "Yeah, okay."

The rest of the flight was peaceful, though Ken never did rejoin the group. Eventually everyone had reclined back their chairs and gotten to sleep. The next morning, everyone was awoken by Terriermon and Lopmon unceremoniously dropping cinnamon buns packaged in plastic onto them and giggling as they scampered off to wake up the next person. Izzy checked their position on the small screen at the front of the cabin. "Just a few more hours until we get there," he commented.

"Good thing, too! I'm starting to miss the ground," Palmon said, wiggling her root-like feet with a frown.

Ken opened the sticky bun sleepily and set it on the table. Next he put Wormmon and Pinamon up on the table with it. "Make sure you two share," he told them before curling back up in his seat.

Tentomon was piercing strawberries on his claw and munching on them when he asked, "Izzy, why didn't you just ask me to fly everyone to Japan as Kabuterimon? It would have been easy."

Izzy shook his head. "I don't think flying over America and Japan would have been a very good idea. A bunch of people would see us and we could cause a panic or even get shot at. A plane's much safer."

"But I flew over Japan a bunch of times, remember?"

"We can't count on that stroke of luck to always continue," Izzy said as he unwrapped his own breakfast. "If we have a safer option, we should always take it. And there's less of a chance of any of us falling off this way," he said with a quiet laugh as he took a bite of the cinnamon bun.

Tentomon thought on this. "True... I'm great in the air but not so much in the water. A rescue mission would have been difficult should someone have fallen."

Izzy just nodded with another quiet laugh. Tentomon always over-thought this sort of thing. It wasn't very long until the pilot's voice urged them to sit down and prepare for landing, and soon enough, they had touched down in the closet airport to Taichi's apartment. Despite that, however, as they emerged from the airport, Tentomon hidden in an almost comically oversized backpack and the rest peeking out of duffle bags Izzy had thought to bring, he said, "We're probably going to need to get a cab."

Willis pulled out the credit card with the silver face and gleaming VISA detail. "Cha-ching! Or we could rent one of these nice chauffeurs out to drive us there."

Izzy laughed, managing a smile. "Whatever you think is best."

"I vote for the chauffer!" Mimi said, raising her hand as if she was in school.

"She knows what I mean," Willis said. So they all made their way to where the private cars were rented out. Izzy relayed the appropriate address to the driver and they were off. Ken sat by the window and stared out at everything passing by them. Odaiba had changed, that much was clear. New streets, closed streets, new buildings, torn down buildings, moved buildings... Then they passed his own apartment complex. Ken turned his head away quickly and squeezed his eyes against the tears. There was no time to think about that.

Wormmon looked up at Ken from where he and Pinamon were hidden inside the duffle bag. Pinamon was wrestling a toothbrush inside the bag, but Wormmon had been watching his boy from inside and noticed Ken's wince. "Are you okay, Ken?" he asked in a whisper.

Ken nodded stiffly. "I'm fine, Wormmon..."

Wormmon made a concerned noise, but knew he wasn't supposed to emerge from the bag, so he could only give a concerned nod. The rest of the ride was silent, until they finally pulled up to the apartment building that had been Ken's real destination all along. Willis paid the driver and they all stepped out onto the curb, looking up at the building. "Do we know which one is his?" Mimi asked.

"Yeah, I know," Izzy responded.

"Then let's head inside!" Terriermon squeaked.

"It's cramped in here!" Lopmon agreed.

Taichi didn't know who was knocking at his door, but at 2:30 in the afternoon, he shouldn't have been surprised. Taking a few minutes to actually get to the door, his eyes widened when he saw the caravan of old friend on his doorstep. "Soooo..." Taichi pulled up on the loose jeans that still weren't buttoned. "'Sup?"

"We have a bit of a situation," Izzy said with a bit of an awkward glance into the apartment behind Taichi. "Is it safe for us to come in?" he asked a bit sarcastically as he watched Taichi hold up his jeans.

"Just... Just one sec." Taichi grinned at everyone before hurrying back into the apartment. "Yamato! Yamato! ... ... ... No, put some clothes on! ... ... ... Yes, I'm serious! There are people here. ... ... ... Well I'm sorry! It's Izzy, Mimi, and some other kids. ... ... ... I don't know! Just put some clothes on, gosh!"

Izzy put his hand on his forehead, massaging his temples. "It's gonna be a long day."

"Hey, guys!" Suddenly, Agumon was at the door. The dinosaur-like Digimon grinned up at them, before tilting his head to the side. "What're you all doing here?"

"It's a long story," Terriermon offered as he poked his head out of Willis' bag. Finally, Yamato rounded the corner, messily redressed in wrinkled clothing, and ushered them all inside, closing the door as the Digimon were allowed to emerge from the duffle bags and backpacks.

"Taichi?" Ken asked timidly as he approached the tall brunet.

Tai raised an eyebrow. "Um, yeah? Do I kno-oohf!" He was taken quite by surprise when the skinny plae boy suddenly clutched onto him in a very desperate hug.

"Finally! Finally I made it to you!" Ken was crying. "Davis said I was supposed to find you and Cupimon said he knew where you were and that I could use a gate but it wasn't the right gate and it sent me to America but now I'm here and you have to help me save Davis!" First Taichi looked at Yamato and then at the others, looking for some kind of explanation as he pat Ken's back.

Izzy walked over to Ken and murmured, "Maybe we should sit down and start from the beginning." All of them made their way over to Tai's living room, the kids sitting on the couch and the Digimon sitting either of the floor, on the table in front of the couch, or on the back of the couch, all crowding around to hear Ken retell his story a second time. Just like at Izzy's, he explained who he was, retold everything that had happened, and then... all that was left was to tell them what the current situation was.

"Davis is under Millenniummon's complete control now. He's calling himself the Digimon Messiah. He thinks he's fixing everything. Davis turned everything in the citadel to white and gold. He wears nothing but white. Outside... Outside there are clouds on the ground and a large golden gate at the entrance. It's all just a disguise, though. The world is still barren. He's just covering it up. Davis thinks that if he makes the Digital World like heaven, it won't be corrupted anymore." Ken sighed sadly. "Anything that isn't a holy or exalted beast Digimon is kept locked up in the dungeon cells below ground. You can hear them crying at night. Even the holy Digimon aren't really free, though. He still has them in golden rings to keep them passive. Davis had nightmares every single night and each one makes him more and more cruel. I tried to save him. I thought I could keep him human, but..." Ken drew his knees to his chest. "He took advantage of me... Hurt me in the worst way possible. That was when I knew..." Even the ones that had heard the story before looked shocked at the tale as it was retold in more detail. Terriermon and Lopmon's ears had drooped along with Wormmon's antenna. Izzy stared at his feet and Mimi's done up face looked pale. Yamato had a hand over his mouth and Agumon's eyes were wide. Pinamon, however, was most tuned in to Taichi, whining quietly as he touched his leg.

Taichi was silent for a long time, only managing to scratch gently behind Pinamon's head. "I knew he was thinking about it," the teen began eventually. "He told me his plan. Granted he sort of beat around the bush, but I knew what he meant. I told him it was a bad idea. I just never thought it would be this bad." Brown eyes looked at the pale boy curled up on his couch. After telling the story, Ken looked like a wreck again, and understandably so. Ken was already the Kaiser when they'd met him. To actually watch Davis change like that and then... "Yamato, take Ken to my room. Make sure he gets cleaned up and give him some fresh clothes. Mimi, you call Joe and get him over here ASAP. I'm gonna call Sora and then Kari and have her call Yolei. Izzy, can you get in touch with T.K. and have him call Cody?"

"Sure," Izzy said, managing a weak smile. It was nice to see Taichi immediately springing into leader mode. He wasn't quite sure if he could have kept calling the shots. He at once was on the phone to call TK, and Mimi also got out her phone to try and get in touch with Joe.

Meanwhile, Yamato got up and helped Ken to his feet, leading him into the bedroom with his hands on his shoulders. "Are you going to be okay?" the blond asked the boy, their Digimon soon coming to stand in the doorway, eternally concerned. Yamato set Ken to sit down on the bed as he went to dig out some clothes that might fit him.

"You know what the worst part of it was?" Ken asked quietly. "It wasn't even Davis who really... hurt me. It was Millenniummon. I could see it in his eyes." Ken gripped both his arms. "There was this red color leaking in, full of so much malice and spite and sadistic passion... It was all him. It was that horrible monster who forced himself on me."

Yamato wasn't really sure what to say to that. He bit his lip slightly as he came over to the boy, only able to offer him pants with a drawstring and a shirt that he knew was too small on Taichi, one that Davis used to wear when he lived there. "That must have been horrible for you to go through," was all he could think of to say, speaking quietly as he handed over the clothing.

"How did Davis do it?"

"Do what?" Yamato asked.

"Not break? I put him through so much as the Kaiser. So much worse and so much more. How did he do it?"

"Oh... I don't really know," the blond said. "He's... something else. But I never really knew him that well. You should talk to Taichi, he could tell you."

"What if we can't?" Ken asks next.

"Can't what?" Yamato asked, stifling an annoyed sigh. This boy was incredibly cryptic. And he still hadn't taken the clothing, so Yamato just put it down next to him before he went back to looking through drawers.

"You know... Save Davis."

"Never say never," Yamato responded. "If I know one thing about Davis, that's the one thing he was constantly telling everyone."

"Millenniummon can't be killed, though," Ken said. "What if it ends up just being some endless cycle with one person getting infected after another? It doesn't seem fair to everyone else. You all have lives, lovers, jobs... I was the Kaiser first, and it's not like any of you even know me, so maybe... Maybe I should just be the one. Besides, I have to make up for what I did. If that means stopping Millenniummon at every attempt to break free and taking him back into myself... Then that's the way it should be. Don't you think?"

"Don't make that choice before we even try," Yamato said with a short exhale. "Like I said, Davis was the one constantly telling us to never stop trying. Even in the face of knowing Millenniummon was invincible, I'm sure he still plowed forward. You need to adopt that attitude, for his sake." The blond glanced over his shoulder at the boy sitting on the bed. "I don't know what you've been going through, but I can tell just by the way you talk about him that you really want to rescue Davis. You aren't going to be able to do that by doubting yourself from the very start."

Ken clenched his hands in his lap. "I just feel so tired... and weak..."

"There isn't much I can say," Yamato said, getting to his feet and putting his hand back on Ken's shoulder. "Except... have faith in us, as a team. We've overcome some pretty crazy things. Here..." He gestured to the clothing. "You're welcome to use the shower. And maybe you should get some sleep."

His smaller hand touched Yamato's wrist. "...Thank you."

Yamato seemed a bit confused, as he didn't consider what he said particularly inspirational, but he just nodded. "You're welcome."

Soon enough the gang had assembled. Two generations of Chosen Children, numbering twelve in all. Taichi's dorm had never looked smaller. "Right, so the bottom line is, Davis had developed some kind of God-complex thanks to this virus and we need to knock him out of it," the brunet said less than tastefully. Joe was sitting beside Mimi and only pushed his glasses further up on his nose.

Sora sat on the other side of Yamato, sharing the couch with him and Taichi. "To be honest, I never even imagined going back. Just not being able to."

TK, being better acquainted with Davis, was more fueled up on the subject. "Look, if both Davis and Ken made it back here, then we can go there. The gates aren't doors, they're windows."

"Yeah," Willis joined in, "only no one knows where Davis' gate is, and Ken came in through my computer back in Colorado."

Taichi nodded but made a lowering motion with his hands. "Okay, okay, all of that is true, but there are steps to be taken first. What do we know about Davis? And before we even think about fighting, has anyone made it past Rookie yet? I know we haven't exactly been trying, but we won't win if that's the limit."

"We have," Izzy piped up. "Tentomon made it to Kabuterimon a little while back. We haven't tried Ultimate yet, though."

"Poromon was stuck that way for a long time, we only just got him back to being Hawkmon recently," Yolei reported with a frown.

"I could definitely get to the next level, dagya! I can feel it in me!" Armadillomon said excitedly from beside his quiet partner.

"But I guess we're going to have to open up a new digital gate before we can do anything..." Patamon said from atop TK's head.

"And what if he puts up something similar to Dark Spires? Then most of us won't even be able to Digivolve anyway," Agumon added.

"I don't know if I'm comfortable trying to plan against Davis, Taichi... no matter what this kid has said has happened to him," Kari admitted quietly, doubt obviously seeping into her voice.

Taichi looked over at his sister with a firm, yet sympathetic gaze. "Kari, I understand how you feel, but Ken is the only one who's had recent contact with Davis. Why would he lie?" Cody got up from where he was kneeling on the floor, moving silently over to the bedroom door where he peered inside.

Joe adjusted his glasses again. "All I know is that from the exam I performed, Davis has enough strength to become a physical threat should he fall under the wrong influence. He might be dangerous."

"Right, Taichi..." Kari had just taken to looking at her feet. She understood what her brother was saying, but it just didn't feel right to her.

"Even if he is really strong, the Digimon can like... shoot electricity and breathe fire! Surely it won't be a problem," Mimi protested.

"But what good is that going to do?" Patamon asked. Armadillomon had noticed that Cody had moved away from the others, and got up to follow him. "We can't just attack him."

"But we can wear him down," suggested Gatomon. "We never attacked the Kaiser directly either. Without the proper tools, Davis won't be a threat. If he doesn't have the means to attack us, then we can start to work on getting through to him."

TK nodded. "She's right. The key to weakening the Kaiser was taking out the dark towers. Once a tower was down, he had no power. I'm sure if we'd just had the time to destroy all of them, we would only be faced by a human. Humans are prone to error and weakness. We just have to find out what Davis' are."

Cody looked into the dark room where Ken was supposedly sleeping. "The space around him is very empty and cold," the child said softly to his Digimon. "He's not allowing positive energy to enter. It is very sad."

"How can you tell, dagya?" Armadillomon asked, tilting his head to the side a bit. "You haven't even talked to him, Cody." Though he knew his partner quite well by now, during the time they'd spent apart, Cody had become even more perceptive and knowledgeable than he had been before, and sometimes it surprised Armadillomon to no end.

"I can feel it," Cody insisted. "He doesn't want help for himself."

Sora looked over at the small boy. "Cody, come away from the door. Ken is sleeping," she said calmly and even waved him over. Cody paused a moment to stare at her, but then his attention was back in the room.

"Obviously we have to train our Digimon to evolve them," Willis said. "Only there's really no place to do that without being noticed."

"I don't think he's going to budge," Biyomon whispered to Sora.

"The only time we ever got practice was in the Digital World," Agumon said with a nod, agreeing with Willis.

"But we have to find somewhere," Gomamon protested.

"We'll be asking for trouble by just marching in without being able to Digivolve," Izzy murmured, putting his hand on his chin. "There has to be a secluded place somewhere... that isn't in the Digital World, but won't be found out by the general public, either..."

"Maybe Ken would know of a place where Davis wouldn't be able to find us. He's been in the Digital World this whole time, after all. Maybe he knows it like the back of his hand by now!" Mimi offered.

"Maybe, unless Davis has surveillance like the Kaiser did. Ken might actually be the one to get us back into the Digital World, though..." Taichi glanced at the blond sitting beside him. "Yamato? You've been really quiet. Do you... have a thought on any of this? You know my ideas are no good unless you balance then out with, you know... logic and sanity."

Yamato tapped his fingers on his knee, thinking about what he was going to say. There were so many ideas and voices floating around, he'd mostly just been thinking about it, taking it all in. "I think... we're right to want to try and make sure we can Digivolve before we go in," Yamato said quietly. "But I think we need to seriously think about what we're willing to do if any of us come face-to-face with Davis." Blue eyes looked up, and then around at the others.

No one said a word. Everyone just looked down at their laps, biting their lips or curling their hands. Surprisingly, it was Willis who spoke first. "I've dealt with sacrifice before," he said and pet Lopmon's ear. "I know how to give something up, kill it, for the greater good. Especially if that's the only way to save it. If I have to, if no one else will, I'll do the ultimate thing we're all thinking. But I need to say..." Blue eyes looked at Izzy apologetically. "I don't think Ken should be involved for that very reason."

Lopmon and Izzy both looked at Willis with small frowns. Izzy still didn't agree, and Lopmon just had a look of unhappy understanding. "I think I agree," Yamato said.

"Wait, wait," Biyomon said, shaking her head. "You can't do that. Davis isn't a Digimon, it's not like he's going to come back to life, changed for the better, like Lopmon did. That's way too rash."

"We're only saying this as an absolute last resort," Taichi explained, trying to get everyone to calm down. "Sure the Digimon possessing him is virtually immortal and killing the host might be the only way to stop it, but that's only after we've tried everything else. And don't brush Ken off so easily. We need him for this."

"He is terribly emotionally invested, though," Yamato said quietly. "I was talking to him before, and just the idea that we may not be able to save Davis was enough to make him practically faint."

"And if he gets captured, then what? Davis is only going to be more angry with him for leaving," Patamon piped up. "Bringing him back to the Digital World might just be asking for trouble."

"But without him, we wouldn't even know what was going on!" Mimi argued. Kari shook her head a little, but stayed silent. She still didn't believe it. It just sounded all too farfetched to be real. It couldn't be real. Davis, evil? It was like some sort of cruel prank.

"I think we should at least give this Ken kid a chance to show that he'll be a vital part of the team," Biyomon said with a ruffle of her feathers.

"Look, capture is a possibility for any of us," Taichi said. "What we have to do is decide here and now that we won't let Davis use us against each other. If one of us is captured, we can't suddenly go on a rescue mission. Not this time. We know how serious this is. We also know that the best way to help anyone who happens to fall under his control is to defeat Davis. As long as he's viral, no one is safe. Understood?"

Willis and Sora nodded. T.K. clenched his fists in his lap, but also gave a gesture of agreement. Joe was mostly neutral. He was all for the cause, of course, but he was more the type to do something when he was told to do it, not figure it all out for himself. Especially since he wasn't very good at strategies and tactics anyway. "His physical parameters may be lacking, however," the med student said. "Any of ours could. Not to play the doctor card, but a thorough check up is order for everyone. Maybe even a small psych evaluation," he said in glancing at Kari. "Too make sure we're still capable of something like this after five years."

"If you think that's best, Joe," Yamato said with a nod. Mimi and Yolei were both nodding, though Izzy was just looking down at the floor, deep in thought. Kari bit her lip a bit, feeling Joe's eyes on her, and turned into the couch a little. "We can't really know what to expect," Yamato continued. "After all, none of us have actually been back to the Digital World or seen Davis. We don't know what he's like, we just know what we've been told. And things could be changing, even right now. We need to be prepared for anything. And if anyone thinks they can't do it... well, you'll have to figure out what you're going to do, because if we don't work as a team on this one... we're going to be dead meat."

"Well of course I'm in!" TK said determinedly.

Sora nodded. "Me too."

Joe bowed his head. "Naturally." Willis just gave a hum as his approval.

Gatomon was looking worriedly at her girl, yellow gloved paw touching her leg gently. "You don't have to if you don't want to," she said.

"I need to think about it," Kari finally said.

Yamato nodded. "We understand."

"I'm in," Yolei said.

"I want to help Davis," Mimi agreed, conjuring up a smile for the others.

"Yes, me too," Izzy said decidedly after a moment of silence.

"Cody?" Armadillomon asked, looking up at his boy. "Are we going to help too, dagya?"

"Kendokas never run from a fight with noble purpose," was all the answer Cody gave.

Tentomon looked up at Izzy with his big green eyes. "You seemed to be thinking rather hard, Izzy. Something on your mind?"

"We've got one major problem," the redhead said with a small nod. "We have no way of getting to the Digital World."

"They can create gates on that side, right?" asked Willis. "So let's just make our own on this side."

"How?" Yolei asked, leaning back. "The only gate we were ever able to open, the one in the computer lab, is gone. We've tried over and over again to reopen it, but nothing ever happens."

"Um... I think I may know," a tiny voice suddenly squeaked. Heads turned to watch as Pinamon sleepily stumbled out of the bedroom. "When we were in the Digital World... we were told that the gate we came through opened when Davis accidentally opened it while making the landscape," Pinamon said, as he came to stand on top of Taichi's coffee table, in the middle of the room. "He's still working on it, so... another one will probably open soon."

"But we have to find it," Sora reminded them. "That's not so easy. Our Digivices aren't that reliable in the real world. I mean, Izzy, did yours or Willis' go off at all when Ken came through the computer?"

"No," Izzy said with a shake of his head.

"I'm just saying, you don't need to open up a digital gate," Pinamon chirped. "You just need to find one when it opens! One has to eventually open up nearby."

"Who knows how long that will take, though!" Willis said.

"Do you have a better idea?" Pinamon asked, his feathers fluffing up.

"We should at least try to open our own gate," Izzy said. "But we should also keep our eyes out for any activity that seems strange or out of place. And if our Digivices do start reacting, then we'll really know when we've stumbled upon something. Unfortunately, we can't do much except for sit on our hands and try to figure this out."

"I can open a gate..." Ken's voice came softly, almost like the whisper of a ghost. He stood at the open door to Taichi's bedroom and curiously holding hands with Cody, who just looked back at everyone with those wise, stoic green eyes.

"Y-you can?" Yamato asked, surprised, looking over at the two boys, all eyes following.

"How?" Biyomon asked, immediately intrigued.

"I didn't know that," Pinamon said with a pouty voice.

Ken nodded slightly, his head only moving by a fraction. "My body is the signature for a gate... Only I don't think you want to go where it leads."

Yamato exchanged a glance with Taichi, and then looked back at Ken with a quirked brow, leaning forward on his knees. "Where... does it go... exactly?"

Taichi listened intently. He was willing to go where ever a gate would take them as long as they could get to the Digital World. "The Haven... What used to be the citadel…" Okay, maybe not there, exactly.

Yamato leaned back on the couch, nodding to himself. "Yeah... probably not the best plan," he murmured. So these were their options? Either jump straight into the lion's den, or wait for the off-chance that a safer route might randomly appear?

"What are you talking about?" TK suddenly said, his voice rising as he went on. "That's our golden ticket! Do you know how many times we thought how much easier it would be to take down the Kaiser if we could just get into his citadel? We could never even find the thing. Why should we wait for a gate to open that might stick us five days worth of walking from the Haven when we can go straight to the source? We won't have to waste our energy on infiltration. And the best part is, if we go in totally prepared to fight, he won't expect a single thing!"

"He's right!" Yolei agreed, pumping her fists excitedly. "If we just storm in there, we can take him by surprise and nip this in the bud!" The older kids didn't look as sure. Even Mimi had a thoughtful look on her face.

"If we go straight in... we will be able to attack from the inside, and we could even take him by surprise and take him out before he can even get violent," Yamato started, mentally weighing the pros and cons. "But if he anticipates our arrival in any way, we could be walking into a deathtrap."

"If it's any reassurance," Ken offered, "I don't think Davis knows I can get back. First, he doesn't think I know about the gate he created by accident. Also, the one I made as the Kaiser... he thinks you need a special bracelet to go back through it. As far as he knows... Returning is impossible."

"That could be to our advantage, then," Yamato said, nodding to himself. "We'll have to think about this, but... this might just work."

Taichi nodded as well. "First we have to train our Digimon. If the only gate available to us takes us straight into the Haven, then we don't have to option of finding seclusion in the Digital World. We'll go on a retreat if we have to. Yamato, didn't your grandmother leave her country home to your dad?"

Yamato nodded. "We could go there to train," he said in quiet affirmation. "And once we feel like we're ready, we can use this gate."

Joe nodded, too. "Summer is just around the corner so it will be easier for us to get out of school. I know the cause is really important, but in all honesty... I wouldn't be looking forward to repeating a semester of med school because I missed the last three weeks."

"Not to mention out tennis championship game. My team would be disqualified it I didn't show up," added Sora.

TK couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Are you serious? We're talking about bigger things here than tennis and school! We're talking about saving Davis! Saving the Digital World!"

"Regardless of when we all get together, none of us will be ready to fight in the next few weeks, anyway," Yamato said, trying to calm his brother down. "All of us can do some work on our own time, but even still, none of us will be even close to ready until school is over. And then once it is, we can all go to the house and start a less constricted training regimen... It's the best I can offer."

"It sounds like a well-structured plan to me," Izzy said with a nod. "I do all of my courses online, so Tentomon and I can start right away. And anyone else that has some spare time can do the same."

Cody looked up at the other boy and gave his hand a small squeeze. "You ready for a vacation, Ken?"

Indigo eyes looked back down in turn. "Wha... M-Me?"

"Of course," Cody said with an honest nod. "You are part of our family, too." Ken looked stunned for a moment, but soon he smiled softly and nodded his head.


	5. A Lesson In Love

It was the longest three weeks of their lives and they had to wait even longer still before actually going to the Digital World. Telling Mr. Ishida that they wanted to get away for the summer to enjoy some nature and time with their friends, TK and Yamato got the country house. Luckily the place was up in the mountains were all the homes were spaced generously apart. The actual town where locals got their food and sorts was down at the base of the mountain away from their new training ground. Already it was hot out. Summer came on strong. Paired up in favor of their significant others, most of the Chosen Children were getting good practice with fighting against someone important to them. Taichi cheered Agumon on against Gabumon. His blue tank was already soaked at the neck and under his arms, soccer shorts doing well to keep his legs cool. Brown eyes still stole glances at the blond across from him. Luckily Yamato had the sense to not where black in the heat of the day, but he made the mistake of wearing white, allowing his boyfriend to see more than he probably wanted. Because of this, Yamato had his arms crossed firmly across his chest as he watched Gabumon and Agumon spar. Though he was suffering in the heat, as he was sure the rest of them were, he felt the worst for his poor Digimon. He could tell Gabumon was hot, but the Digimon still adamantly refused to take off his fur pelt. Glancing over at the other kids, he could see that a lot of the Digimon were at equal disadvantages. Palmon was running circles around Gomamon because of the heat, and Terriermon and Lopmon didn't want to move too fast while Tentomon was moving as quickly as the lightning he shot from his antenna. At least Patamon and Gatomon seemed to be on the same level, he mused, as he cast a glance to check on his brother. His brother, whom he noticed was doing the exact same thing to Kari that Yamato was aware Taichi was doing to him. Willis and Izzy had the sense to where blue and orange t-shirts respectively. Sure they were a bit warmer inside the short sleeves, but they weren't distracted. Poor Joe couldn't keep his eyes on the battle, not with Mimi bouncing in her pink and white striped tube top. She would jump and clap whenever Palmon struck a blow, making Joe's face turn red with more than sunburn. "You know..." Taichi began, speaking across the way to Yamato. "As negatively as it's all been executed, Davis kind of had a good point behind his changing of the Digital World."

"I suppose he did," Yamato said with a nod. He watched Biyomon and Hawkmon soar after each other overhead as he continued on to say, "But this... just isn't right."

"It's a shame, though," Taichi continued, "that the Digital World is so easily corruptible and the creatures in it are even more so." Brown eyes met blue, speaking of a memory they both shared but found bitter all the same.

Yamato stared back for a moment, before his eyes regretfully swept to the ground. "Yeah, it is a shame."

"At least I know I have the strength to do what it takes," Taichi said. "I know the others are wondering if I can even fight Davis, but... Hitting you was the hardest thing I ever had to do. If I could manage that, then I can manage this, right?"

"I don't doubt that you can for a second, Taichi, but..." Yamato looked back up at the other boy, frowning gently. "This could turn out to be far more severe than just needed a punch to snap out of."

Taichi nodded. "I understand that. I do."

"Have your feelings changed at all about fighting Davis?" TK asked Kari. He was trying to ignore the lace showing through her pale pink top, but his hormones were making it next to impossible.

"I'm still not happy about it," Kari sighed as she watched Gatomon hop up and down trying fruitlessly to swipe at Patamon, hovering tauntingly above her head. "And I still don't want to. But I'm not going to jeopardize the team, either. If, by the end of this, Gatomon can become Nefertimon or even Angewomon again... then I'm going to help."

TK nodded. "Even if he isn't as evil as Ken says he is, if Davis is in some sort of danger, we still have to help him." He made a short whistling sound to Patamon, instructing him to go lower. No fighting meant no evolution.

Patamon let out a sigh, nodding and swooping back down to the ground. He'd only been having a bit of fun with Gatomon. Soon enough it was back to their cat-and-mouse fighting and chasing. "Augh, dagya!" Armadillomon suddenly groaned rather loudly, making Kari look over her shoulder at him. He was shaking violently, trying to get Wormmon's Sticky Net off.

"S-sorry!" Wormmon apologized sheepishly.

The ground they were standing on was also covered in sticky webbing. Ken had instructed Wormmon to do so. Knowing Armadillomon dug underground for an advantage, Ken decided they should make it so the yellow Digimon couldn't dig. Now Ken was just trying to fight. "Oh... Maybe that was too much..." Ken said worriedly. He was the only one to be wearing long sleeves and a darker shade of purple.

Cody shook his head. "No apologies. You read the enemy's weakness and used it against him. I am honored to have such a tactical opponent."

"Yeah, good tactic, but man, it takes forever to get off, dagya!" Armadillomon said, as he cut through the web with his claws and tried his best to pick it all off. He then looked around, and his tail thumped on the ground as he said, "How much longer, dagya? We've been out here all day!"

"No one has evolved yet," Cody said, "but we have only been here for one day. More time is necessary to make progress. Perhaps the others are willing to break for the day as well."

Taichi was about to protest. His fire powered dinosaur was a master in the heat, but then he saw how heavily Gabumon was panting and sweating under all that fur. "We're done!" he announced to the others.

"Winner!" Palmon self-announced, throwing her vines up into the air as Gomamon collapsed at Mimi's feet, rolling onto his back and mockingly flailing his flippers in the air. Of course, she just made sympathetic cooing noises and picked him up to help him inside. Joe noticed Gomamon had a sly smirk on his face as he was held so tenderly to Mimi's ample chest. He made a sort of flabbergasted sound before running off after them. Biyomon and Hawkmon both landed, though Hawkmon a bit more unceremoniously than his more experienced opponent after their mid-air spar, and once he got up to his feet they shook hands before heading over to Yolei and Sora. Armadillomon happily hopped out of the sticky web and Wormmon quickly inched over to Ken.

"How did I do, Ken?" he asked in an eager, warbling voice.

Ken smiled proudly down at his Digimon. "You were amazing, Wormmon. I didn't think you would be that strong with me as a partner."

"Don't say that, Ken! I've been waiting for the day we could finally work together again," Wormmon said, his antenna perking up at the praise. And it was true. All the little green Digimon had ever wanted was for them to be able to be partners once more. The Kaiser had always told him that his real partner could never be as weak as Wormmon. Just hearing the simple words from Ken's mouth made everything in Wormmon's world right. He watched as Mimi carried Gomamon inside, and as TK picked up Patamon to help him, too, and turned to Ken, holding up his front claws.

Ken just smiled lovingly down at his Digimon. He was so incredibly lucky to have a Digimon so willing to forgive him after the absolute monster he had been. Ken picked Wormmon up and held him close to his damp shirt. "You deserve a treat. What would you like?"

Wormmon rested his claws on the fabric of Ken's shirt, curling up contentedly into his arms. "Oh, I don't know... is there fruit inside?" he asked curiously, antenna twitching.

"I'm sure there is," Ken replied with a nod. He looked over his shoulder to see who else was still outside, and he turned just in time to see Taichi grab Yamato's hand and pull him behind a hill out of sight from everyone else. The pale boy frowned but turned to walk back inside. "Looks like there are apples, grapes, pineapple, or bananas."

"Banana, please," Wormmon said, not having noticed. As they came into the kitchen, however, he did notice that Patamon was helping Gatomon get stuff out of the freezer and TK and Kari were nowhere in sight. The Digimon just shrugged it off, however, and pointed towards the fruit bowl he spied in the middle of the low table.

Ken got the banana Wormmon asked for, peeled it back, and starting breaking off small pieces for eating. Cody was meditating in the other room, seemingly unaware of Mimi's giggles coming from somewhere deeper in the house and Joe's awkward throat noises. With a sigh Ken went and sat at the table, feeding his Digimon.

Wormmon nibbled on the banana carefully, but he noticed the look in his boy's eyes after a while, and pulled back to ask, "Ken, what's wrong?"

"My chest hurts, Wormmon," Ken replied quietly.

"Are you okay? Are you having trouble breathing? Maybe we were outside too long..." Wormmon fretted, suddenly worried, pressing the side of his head against the boy's chest.

Ken shook his head. "No, not like that. It feels... heavy and cold..."

Wormmon pulled his head back and looked up at the boy with sad blue eyes. "Oh, Ken..."

The boy looked down at his Digimon. "What's wrong with me, Wormmon?"

"You miss Davis, don't you, Ken?" Wormmon prompted, his antenna drooping. "You miss the Davis you knew before this whole mess..."

Ken nodded. "I thought we were finally going to be together."

"And it must be hard... to see all of the other chosen children paired off... while we're training to go in to save him."

"Maybe I'm not supposed to be with him," Ken said sadly. "Maybe I don't deserve Davis."

"Ken, don't say that," Wormmon murmured, placing his claws on his boy's arm in what he hoped was a comforting motion. "He loved you too, you know. He wouldn't want you to give up."

"I could never give up on Davis, but... What if even after we save him... Things will be different?"

"You can't know what it will be like afterwards, Ken," Wormmon said quietly. "All we can do is work together to get him back safely. Isn't that worth it, even if things still don't work out?"

Ken nodded. "Of course. I just... don't know what I'll do if Davis doesn't want me. You and I could run away together," the boy suggested with a slight smile. "We'll find someplace, maybe in the Digital World, where it can just be us."

"Don't plan for that now, Ken," Wormmon said, shaking his head. "I want to believe that everything will turn out okay."

Tears started in his indigo eyes. "I want Davis back, Wormmon..."

"We're going to get him back, Ken," Wormmon said, tugging on the boy's shirt. "Everyone is doing their best to get ready so we can go save him."

"I can't sleep... I can't eat... Sometimes I can't even think without him. Davis is all I have left. Mama... Mama and dad are dead, Wormmon. I have no one else."

"You have me," Wormmon offered, even as sadness for his partner overcame his expression. "And all of the other children and Digimon... you don't know them well now, but I'm sure they'll support you once you get to know them. They act like a family."

"Of course I have you, Wormmon," Ken said and hugged his Digimon tightly. "I'm an outsider to these other kids, though. Not to mention I was the Kaiser. I'm sure deep down they all hate me. I killed their Digimon and kept the eggs captive for years."

"They're the chosen children, Ken. Even if they're angry... I don't think any of them would have been picked if they'd hold grudges. They'll come to accept you one day, I know it. Maybe not soon, maybe even not until after Davis is free, but they will."

Ken nodded, his cheek rubbing against Wormmon's head. "I just hate feeling lonely in such a large group."

"Neither of us have to feel lonely, Ken," Wormmon said, his antenna perking up. "We finally have each other again. And right now, that's all we need. The other kids will come around... they'll see how kind and good-hearted you are eventually."

This put a small smile on Ken's face. "You know just what to say, Wormmon..."

Wormmon trilled happily, and an equivalent of a smiling expression came across his own face. "I'm just glad I can make you happy, Ken."

"You know, Wormmon... I always knew you were there..."

Wormmon tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean by that, Ken?"

"I could see you, hear you," Ken explained. "Even when the Kaiser was at his strongest, I could feel you there. I was so undeserving of your loyalty, but I'm touched you stayed. I don't think I could have survived without you."

"I'd never leave you, Ken," Wormmon said with an affirmative nod. "Just like none of the other Digimon would ever leave their partners, either, even in the worst of it. Just like Chibimon is doing now."

"I doubt Chibimon is suffering," Ken pointed out. "Davis still showed a lot of favor in him."

"You never know, Ken," Wormmon said, his antenna drooping. "When the Dark Spore took you over, you still liked me at first, too. In fact, while you were sick, you kept thanking me for taking care of you... but you just suddenly turned on me one day. It isn't always gradual."

"Chibimon has been supporting Davis, too. That's the only reason I didn't bring him with us. I knew he'd be angry with me and could have attacked us."

Wormmon nodded his head. "As much as I didn't want to leave him behind... yes, it was too dangerous to take him with us. Chibimon wants so desperately to believe that everything Davis is doing is good."

"Sometimes I'm afraid they think too much alike," Ken said. "If we go there and Chibimon is still dedicated to Davis' cause, he'll be a powerful opponent."

"Especially if Davis tries something similar to Demonic Digivolution," Wormmon added. "He could boost Chibimon to a whole new level, but he'll be dangerous and uncontrollable."

Ken shivered. "I don't want to think about that..."

Wormmon nodded, patting the boy's arm with his claws. "Then I won't talk about it, Ken. Whatever happens in there, though... it could be a lot of fighting that we don't want to do."

"Sometimes I wish Ryo was still here. I bet he would know exactly what to do," Ken said with a sigh.

"If only we knew where he was..." Wormmon agreed. "If he was still in the Digital World... he probably would have surfaced by now."

"It's so weird how he just disappeared like that," Ken said quietly. "I wonder if he can't go back. Veemon isn't his partner anymore. Maybe... Maybe he isn't a Chosen anymore..."

"I don't think so," Wormmon said, shaking his head. "Ryo was closer to the Digital World than anyone ever was. If I had to make a guess, I'd think the Digital World would give him a new partner."

Ken thought about this. "Remember how the Digital World got split in half? Maybe he got stuck on the other side. Things still weren't quite right even when you took me home. Ryo could have gotten lost."

"It's likely," Wormmon said, nodding his head quietly. "He may not even know what's been going on or how long he's been there. He could even still be looking for Millenniummon."

That made Ken laugh, though it was very tired sounding. "I know exactly where to tell Ryo to find him."

"He could definitely help,' Wormmon sighed. "If only we knew where he was."

"I think I'm tired again, Wormmon..."

"We did a lot of work today," Wormmon said gently. "You should go get some rest."

"Can I take you with me?" Ken asked his Digimon.

Wormmon nodded, settling into the boy's arms. "I could use the rest, too."

Ken smiled. "Good." He got up from the table, making sure to throw the banana peel away. He ended up sleeping through dinner that evening, despite even Wormmon's efforts to wake him up. Ken spent the next few days apart the other kids like he had been. He didn't feel like he fit in with the college students and the others didn't seem too keen on him. Cody was the only one to give him the time of day, but Ken only reciprocated during training. At breakfast he would sit at the far end of the table, nibbling on some Cheerios type cereal. Lunch was the same, only with fruit and maybe a light sandwich. Dinner was sometimes skipped all together.

Tonight he was eating, though it was just a small bowl of the miso and one piece of bread, and was still sitting apart from the others, feeling it was only right to allow them their space. A few of the children and Digimon glanced over at Ken, but like him, they figured he needed space. That was how it had been the whole time. No one could get comfortable around the kid. But tonight, it was Kari who decided it was time to break the cycle. She gestured for her Digimon to follow her before going to sit next to Ken with her dinner. She caught his eye as she sat down, and offered him a smile. "You and Wormmon did a good job today," she said simply.

Ken was truly surprised at first. Was she really speaking to him? "O-Oh... thank you, um..." He rubbed the chopsticks between his fingers. "You and Gatomon did much better, though. She... She even made it to Nefertimon. S-She... She's quite beautiful..."

Gatomon beamed. "I like him already."

Kari laughed gently, nodding her head and giving Gatomon a scratch behind the ears, praising, "Yup. It took a few days, but I knew she'd get back in the swing of things quickly." She then looked back at him, and noticed his chopsticks jittering on the plate. "Are you okay? You're shaking," she murmured with a concerned pout.

"I... I guess I'm nervous," Ken admitted with his own weak smile.

"There's no reason to be," Kari said with a smile. "It's just dinner conversation." She knew not to make the encounter into a big ordeal and to just try and get the boy to calm down. "So, Ken," she started, glancing at the other children and then back and the dark-haired boy. "Why don't you tell me about yourself? You know a lot about us, but we don't know much at all about you."

"There isn't a whole lot to... to know..." Ken tried to insist. TK was the first to move down so he could sit with Kari. Taichi was next, elbowing Yamato to follow him. "My name is Ken Ichijouji... I guess that's a start. My father's name was Jiro. He was a journalist. Mama's name was Misao. She was a stay at home wife, but she did a lot of volunteer work..." Kari nodded, leaning forward on her elbows and putting her head in her hands to listen. From Ken's lap, Wormmon made encouraging motions with his claws for the boy to keep talking. Meanwhile, Mimi had pulled Joe down a few seats closer to the boy, and Izzy soon followed suit, bringing Willis with him as nearly the entire table shifted. "Well, um..." Ken bit his lip. "I had an older brother. His name was Osamu, but he died when he got hit by a car." TK frowned sadly at this and Cody said a short prayer under his breath. "I've always gone to private schools," Ken went on to say, "although I hardly think I was ever smart enough for them. Not like Izzy, Joe, or Willis are. I think the other kids could tell I was different, because I never had many friends." Another shaky laugh. "I guess that's why this is so weird for me. Not to mention I don't deserve any of your friendship."

"If you convince yourself you don't, you won't feel comfortable getting it," Yamato piped up from where he'd been leaning back in his chair. Izzy nodded in agreement.

"There's a lot going on here that we really don't understand," Kari said, looking around at the other chosen children again, and, again, back at Ken. "But we want to understand what's going on, and we want to understand you, Ken. No one here wants to be alienated or to alienate anyone. We're a team."

Ken nodded and appreciated their words. "I guess I just don't know what there is to tell."

"What do you like to do?" Mimi asked, leaning forward on the table.

"Do you like music?" Patamon asked from atop TK's hat.

"I... I like to read, mostly. My favorites are the older texts... folklore and mythology. I also enjoy philosophy." Ken blushed and turned his eyes down to his Digimon. Having the attention on him was strange, but... sort of nice.

"Mythology? Philosophy?" Taichi whistled. "Great, another geek in the group," he joked kindly.

Ken laughed awkwardly, not sure how to take that. "As for music... I much prefer classical played with kotos and sanshins." Ken cast a shy glance to Yamato. "No offense."

"None taken. All music has to start with inspiration from somewhere, y'know," Yamato said, leaning back in his chair some more.

"You should hear it! He listens to that sort of stuff all day! It's a wonder he's not just doing that instead!" Agumon chimed in from next to Taichi's chair. Wormmon just looked happily up at his boy, patting the back of his hand encouragingly. Ken could definitely do this, he could definitely get through the social barrier. The other kids were welcoming, Ken just needed to break through the threshold.

"What about sports?" TK asked.

"O-Oh... Well... I still like soccer, but I don't think I can play anymore," Ken confessed.

Taichi straightened up in his chair at that statement. "Not play soccer anymore? That's crazy talk! We need to get you outside and kicking a ball around!"

Ken immediately began to withdraw. "Wh-What? Oh no... No, I can't. I mean..." He shook slightly. "It's been so long and I'm not... Not anymore. I..."

"That doesn't matter!" Kari giggled, offering her hand as she straightened up as well. "Even those of us with two left feet will play when it comes to a Digidestined soccer match."

"I don't even have feet, and I play too!" Gomamon piped up from under Joe's chair, leaping up onto the table and clapping his fins excitedly.

Ken was still trying to back out of the game before it even started. "I... I just don't see myself playing..." he tried to insist.

"Just give it a try," Kari insisted right back. "If you don't have fun, you can sit it out."

"I just don't think I'll be any good..." he said quietly, head now down.

"Don't worry about that," Kari said, smiling softly and offering her hand. "It's just for fun."

Ken really, really didn't want to be doing this, but he saw no way out of it now. Half the kids and Digimon were on their feet now and ready to go play. With a very timid nod, Ken took Kari's hand and hoisted himself up. Taichi was the first to run outside, having grabbed his ball from his duffle while the others tried to convince Ken to play. "I'm captain A and Yamato is captain B! My first pick is Sora!"

As Sora jogged over to Tai, a pick that everyone was expecting, Yamato made his obvious first choice and waved his little brother over. "I don't think I'll be of much help in a soccer match," Wormmon warbled as he approached the rest of the group.

"Don't worry," Gomamon said, smiling toothily. "Digimon like us are allowed to use our skills to help us out a bit."

"Agumon!" Tai said next, another expected choice. Ken stood in the back of the group hoping an even number would be picked before it was his turn so he could sit out.

"Gabumon," Yamato called, bringing his Digimon over. And of course, with TK whispering in his ear, his next choice was Patamon, leaving Tai to pick two.

"Willis and... Biyomon!" Ken looked around. Did Terriermon and Lopmon count as one or two? Oh no... Yamato saw Mimi practically jumping up and down with her hand in the air, like she was in school. He couldn't help smirking slightly before waving her over. Taichi went on to choose Kari, Gatomon, Yolei, Hawkmon, and Lopmon, building what he was sure to be the winning team. Some of the kids thought it was strange how he was avoiding picking Ken, the very person he wanted to see out on the field. Looking at who was left, Yamato went on to pick Terriermon, Joe, Palmon, Armadillomon, and Cody. Taichi and Yamato's teams always started in the same place, with Sora, Agumon, and Biyomon on Taichi's side, and TK, Patamon, and Gabumon on Yamato's side, but where they went after that always seemed to change. "I'll take Wormmon," Taichi announced. "He can use that sticky web of his as goalie."

"Then I'll take Gomamon," Yamato said, making the little seal Digimon slide happily over to his partner. "And... Tentomon," he said, completing his team. Now the two that were left were Izzy and Ken, though Izzy was sort of glancing at an appealing looking tree rather than paying attention to the teams like Ken was.

Taichi was left standing with a hand on his chin. He knew Izzy wasn't very good, and the whole point of this was to get Ken playing, so in the end the choice wasn't really that hard. "I choose Ken!" he said with a large grin.

"Wh-What? Me?" The pale boy was honestly surprised. He thought he'd gotten off Scott free. "You don't want me, really. Izzy is much better."

"I'll be referee," Izzy had immediately offered, shaking his head. "Go on, Ken," he said, giving the other boy a thumbs up before he ran over to the tree and whipped out his laptop, which he'd been carrying in the square bag on his back.

"Gabumon, you play goalie," Yamato was saying as the rest of his team dispersed onto the field.

Ken whined quietly to himself. Oh great. Time to be humiliated. He ran up to join his team, taking a spot near the back corner of the field. Maybe he could stay out of everyone's way there. "Go!" Taichi shouted and kicked the ball to Sora who carried it swiftly across the grass. She still had some mad soccer skills.

"Marching Fishes!" Gomamon pegged Sora right in the eye with a fish. Though it was just a playful attack, it surprised her enough to stop her in her tracks. He was giggling to himself as he swatted the ball towards Joe, who looked floored when it rolled towards him and blindly kicked it towards Yamato, who ran past Sora back towards her own goal.

Ken only now realized his mistake of staying at this end of the field. "Stop him, Ken!" Taichi called. Ken swallowed and ran forward, though he had no idea what he was going to do. Lucky for him, Hawkmon swooped in and snatched the ball right from under Yamato's feet and proceeded to kick it to Kari. Kari was light on her feet and managed to weave around the other players until the other equally fast child, Mimi, darted in front of her and tried to kick it away. But in one smooth movement, Kari had slipped the ball between Mimi's legs and rushed towards the goal, kicking the ball as hard as she could at the net. A loud howl was heard as Garurumon suddenly appeared in front of the net. His massive size blocked the entire goal and the ball merely bounced off his side. "Hey! Hey! No evolving!" Taichi shouted. Garurumon just grinned his giant toothed grin.

"Cheater!" Kari yelled as she caught the ball. Gomamon and Palmon had fallen over each other laughing at the sight, and Yamato couldn't help a grin that he covered with his hand.

"Kari gets a penalty kick!" Izzy called from the sidelines before he went back to typing.

Garurumon nodded and devolved back into Gabumon, ready to defend his goal fairly this time. "You got him," Taichi said to his sister, working her shoulders like a boxer. "Aim over his head since he can't jump that well."

Kari reeled back and took the shot, doing as her brother instructed. This time, the ball sailed over Gabumon's head; just narrowly missing his horn, and fell into the net. "Goal!" she cried, pumping her fists in the air victoriously.

"Yeah!" Taichi picked his sister up and spun her around. "That's the way to do it!"

TK retrieved the ball from Gabumon. "Don't celebrate yet," he warned. "That game is just getting started and now it's our ball." Kari stuck her tongue out at TK and Gabumon before going to get ready for the next play. Patamon dropped the ball from up high so TK could carry it down the field. Though basketball was more the boy's forte, he was still one of the most athletic of the children, so he practically soared past the others. But what he probably wasn't expecting was Lopmon to smack the ball out of his reach with his ear as he passed by. Palmon forced her root fingers into the ground, maneuvering them below the soil to come up and trip Willis who had the ball after Lopmon. The blond fell to the ground as the ball was whipped away and passed again to TK for another shot at the goal. Biyomon and Hawkmon both tried to soar in and steal the ball away from TK, but he managed to maneuver around them. The other kids and Digimon on Taichi's team rushed after the blond, but he had an almost clear shot at the goal as they found they couldn't keep up. Ken heard them all calling his name, telling him to run, to block, to slide. But he couldn't do any of those things! Was Wormmon really capable of stopping the ball, though? He was so small and the ball could easily fly past him on any side. Ken knew the others were counting on him. He didn't want to disappoint them. So, with a deep breath, Ken ran forward again, only he'd failed to notice that TK had already kicked the ball. A black and white sphere zooming in fast was the last thing Ken saw for a pain exploded in his face and everything went black.

Ken awoke to the hazy image of all of the children and Digimon crowded around, looking down at him. "I think he's coming to," Terriermon said as Ken's conciousness slowly slipped back, waving his hand in front of the boy's face. "Yoohoo, sleepyhead!" Ken groaned. He could feel something hot and sticky on his face. Pale fingers touched his lip under his nose only to pull them back and see a crimson smear. Another groan.

"Good job, TK," Lopmon teased from where he stood next to his brother. Izzy had already been sent to get the kit to clean up the cut. It wasn't too severe, but they were soon letting the redhead through to clean the bloody lip.

"You okay?" he asked as he crouched down and wiped away the blood.

"I can feel my heartbeat in my nose," Ken replied.

"Do you think you'll be okay, or do you wanna head inside?" Izzy asked.

Ken swallowed. His mouth tasted like mealy oranges. Gross. "I don't want to play anymore. Sorry..."

"That's okay," Yamato said from the back of the group. "You can switch places with Izzy."

"Give it another try when you're feeling better!" Gomamon prompted before he wriggled out of the group to get back to his spot.

"Is it okay if I keep playing, Ken?" Wormmon asked as Izzy offered his hand to help Ken up.

He took the offered hand and slowly sat up. "Of course, Wormmon. You go have fun." Ken smiled. "Show them what your web can do."

Wormmon looked excited as he went off onto the field as well. The others dispersed, allowing Ken space to stand up and head off the field to watch from the tree Izzy had claimed as referee. The redhead took Ken's spot on the field and the game continued on. Since they'd run out after having dinner, they were quickly losing light, and soon enough the only light on the field came from Tentomon hovering above and crackling electricity between his wings. Biyomon decided to sit the rest of the game out, evening the teams back out so each side only had one flying Digimon each. The pink bird walked over to sit beside Ken under the tree. "How's your lip?" she asked as she approached, looking over her shoulder as her former teammates cheered when Wormmon used his Sticky Net to stop Armadillomon from scoring.

"Feels kind of swollen," he replied while touching it gently with his index finger. "Although it doesn't hurt anymore." Ken smiled and gave Wormmon a thumbs up when he stopped the ball. "Oh... I meant to congratulate you on making Birdramon yesterday."

"Oh, thank you," Biyomon said, clasping her wings together happily as she sat next to him. "Everyone's making really good progress." She looked at the boy, and then back at Wormmon. "Has... Wormmon ever Digivolved?"

Ken shook his head somberly. "No... He hasn't. I don't think I'm strong enough for him."

"Don't say that," Biyomon said, the little curl atop her head twitching as she frowned as best she could with a beak. "I'm sure it'll just take some time." She pointed at Willis as the boy rushed across the field. "Willis had Terriermon for over ten years before he finally reached the Champion level because he wasn't training." She turned back to Ken, offering a shrug. "So who knows?"

"I just hope Wormmon can evolve before we go in to fight Davis. I don't want to be completely useless," Ken said to the bird Digimon.

"Digivolution is all about hope and the heart," Biyomon said, nodding her head. "If you want it enough and work hard enough, it'll happen. Take our crests for example," Biyomon added. "Sora's crest was the Crest of Love before the crests all got destroyed. And I was able to Digivolve to Ultimate just based on our bond!"

Ken nodded. "It just comes back to me being strong enough, though," he sighed quietly. "Wormmon deserves a good, strong partner. I want to be that for him."

"Just my point," Biyomon said. "Digivolving isn't just about wanting to improve your partner. Sometimes it can mean improving yourself, and if you can realize that and work towards it, your partner will be able to feed off your effort. I think that was all of our cases at first. At first, none of us could use our crests because most of us didn't live up to the things incribed on them. It's through the improvement of the partner that the Digimon is able to grow." Biyomon clapped her wings together again. "So if you're willing to try, I'm sure Wormmon will be able to make it to the Champion level!"

Ken looked at the pink bird and smiled gently at her. "Thank you, Biyomon. I needed to hear that."

Biyomon smiled back, nodding her head. "Everyone just wants to help, Ken. You know... I'm not mad at you."

"Everyone keeps saying that, but they should be. You have every right to be mad at me and hate. I don't understand why you don't."

"If everyone was always mad and hateful, we'd all just be angry balls of spite!" Biyomon chirped, throwing her wings up and giggling. "Ken..." She then went on to take on a more serious tone, putting her claws on top of his hand gently. "What you did as the Kaiser... was hard on all of us. You separated us from our partners and they were devastated for the longest time. And at first... most of us did hate you for it. But everyone deserves a second chance, and over these past few days, the only thing I've noticed about you is how close you want to be with your own partner." Biyomon's curl twitched again. "That just tells me that you really want to help and rectify what you did... and also that you understand what you put us through and that you want to fix it. And that's enough for us."

Ken nodded. "It's the only way I can atone for what I did. Besides, I owe it to everyone."

"If you understand that, then that's all we need." Biyomon chirped. "We really do all want to be a team. Ideally... we'd like for all of us to be together, no matter what the past held." She laughed gently, patting the back of his hand. "Besides, it's hard to stay mad at someone who's super sweet. If you were a jerk, it might have been easier."

This made Ken blush. He couldn't remember the last time someone said he was 'super sweet'. Soon all the light was gone and the game was called to an end. Taichi's team won by three points and he paraded their victory by lifting Kari onto his shoulders since she has scored the winning goal. Ken approached Wormmon and picked his little Digimon up, knowing how tired he must have been after training all day and then the game. "You were amazing out there."

Wormmon seemed to be fired up, waving his claws in the air ecstatically. "You were watching, right Ken? I stopped so many goals! I think my aim's getting better!"

Ken laughed and nodded. "Of course I was watching! I couldn't keep my eyes off you. Your aim is definitely getting better. Soon you'll be hitting moving targets with your eyes closed, Wormmon." Wormmon shadowboxed the air as Ken carried him inside, following the group of other Digidestined. The Digimon and kids were soon going their own ways towards their bedrooms, and just as quickly as they were inside, Wormmon's remaining energy had fizzled out and he was nodding off in Ken's arms.


	6. Gateway

The Digidestined's training continued onwards for weeks. One after another, the Digidestined found their Digimon slowly recovering their evolution powers. Tentomon had been first to reach Champion again, and Gatomon the first to Armor Digivolve, but it was Biyomon who reached Ultimate first, and the others soon followed. After that, it was Agumon who finally reached his Mega form once again, though Gabumon beat him to remembering how to warp straight to the powerful form. Eventually, the only Digimon that were left unable to Digivolve were the two that never had, at least not regularly, Wormmon and Lopmon. As the others took a much needed break, Willis and Ken would still be training, pitting the rabbit-like Digimon and Ken's partner against each other in a strange matchup. Wormmon couldn't use his Sticky Net tricks to stop any burrowing like he could with Armadillomon. Lopmon's quick speed and ability to fly made the battles much more one-sided, and eventually, Lopmon found the ability to Digivolve into a form known as Turuiemon, which looked much like a taller Lopmon with purple fur who wore an orange martial arts outfit with a blue bandanna and blades attached to gloves. The new form surprised all of the Digidestined, who had only seen Lopmon Digivolve into his evil, corrupted form, and when it first occurred, jaws dropped. "Whoah!" Mimi gasped as she ran over to look at Lopmon's new form.

"Since when could you do that?" Terriermon demanded to know as he ran over to his brother, too, and was soon joined by the other kids and Digimon.

"Prodigious, he finally reached his true Champion form!"

"Congratulations... what's the new name?" Yamato asked.

"Turuiemon," the Digimon said with a proud grin. As the others congratulated him with shakes of his gloved hands, Wormmon backed up and inched over to his partner, looking forlornly over his shoulder at the newly evolved Turuiemon.

Willis was beaming with pride when Lopmon evolved. He'd been waiting for this day a long time, ever since he'd retrieved Kokomon's egg after the infection. "You look awesome!" the blond exclaimed while patting his newly evolved partner on the back.

Ken knelt down next to Wormmon and petted his head. "I'm sorry, Wormmon. I'm trying. I really am," he apologized quietly.

"It makes sense that we'd be last, Ken," Wormmon said, shaking his head. "I'm just worried... that we'll go in soon and I'll wind up being useless." He watched as Turuiemon grinned proudly, giving his partner a thumbs up. Lopmon had secretly worried that he'd never be able to get past that evil infection that had granted him his first evolution, but a huge weight had been taken off his, his brother's and his partner's shoulders as they all saw their worries disappear.

Ken pulled his Digivice from his pocket and looked down at it. "I don't know how else to become stronger. We've been training for a month now and I'm not getting any better. I keep holding you back. What am I supposed to do?" He clutched the device in his hand. "I have to help you evolve. Wormmon... Wormmon, use Sticky Net while Turuiemon is distracted and then tackle him to the ground. Once you're on top of him, use your Silk Thread pierce and devolve him."

"Is... is that really a good idea, Ken?" Wormmon asked, his antenna drooping as he looked over at Turuiemon. "They're all celebrating and are happy for him... I don't want to take away his moment."

"We need to practice the element of surprise, Wormmon. It may be the only real weapon we have against Davis. The other kids may hate me for it, but I don't care. This is the only way I know how."

"A-alright, I'll try, Ken," Wormmon said, nodding his head. He jumped down from Ken's arms and tried to stealthily make his way towards the Digimon- as stealthily as a worm could wiggle along. Once he was sure the timing was right... "Sticky Net!"

"Gauntlet Claw!" With lightning-fast reflexes, Turuiemon spun around and slashed through the webbing with the silver blades on his hands, making it fall uselessly to the ground.

"Hey!" Willis barked, clearly offended by the betrayal of his special moment with Turuiemon. "What's the big idea, Ken?"

Only the pale boy had no time to answer. "Wormmon! Two shots south and one shot north!" he said, meaning to use Sticky Net on the other Digimon's feet and then to spit one overhead in case Turuiemon jumped.

Turuiemon found his feet planted firmly on the ground, and waved an ear as Willis quickly got fired up. "No need to be angry," the Digimon said in a deeper, rather calm sounding voice. "Neither of us won our spar, I simply paused it due to my evolution. Wormmon obviously is raring to continue and come to a conclusion." The entire group backed up when Turuiemon got into a fighting stance, despite his glued down feet, as did Wormmon, ready for his next command.

Ken knew it wasn't in proper style to command his Digimon during a battle, but he felt like it was the only way he could help Wormmon. If he could at least strategize a win... "Wormmon, Silk Thread into defenseless!" Ken said, wanting his Digimon to use the silken shards to knock the blades from their opponent's hands.

"Well yeah," Willis replied, letting his Digimon do as it wished, "but there's a little thing called proper form in a sparring match."

"Silk Thread!" The spiked threads hit Turuiemon's blades, making him drop them from his hands onto the grassy ground. Feeling bold, Wormmon leapt towards Turuiemon to attack, and...

"Ninja Fist!" He promptly fell to the ground as Turuiemon clocked him across the face with a fast punch.

"Wormmon!" Ken cried. He was about to run in and pick his Digimon up, but Ken stopped. He couldn't keep babying Wormmon. There was no way he could run in and pick his Digimon up every single time Davis knocked him down. They had to be stronger to fight against Davis, for Davis. "Sticky Net ten into one!" he commanded, wanting Wormmon to seal Turuiemon's hands together.

"Sticky Net!" Turuiemon had been caught up in attempting to get his feet free. He'd successfully done it just as Wormmon's attack sealed up his hands. He gritted his teeth before rushing towards Wormmon.

"Lightning Kung-Fu!" he cried as he kicked his now free feet at the insectoid Digimon.

Ken cringed as he watched Wormmon fly through the air and hit the ground. "Get up, Wormmon! Be strong! Fight!" Ken clutched his Digivice to his chest. "We have to be strong... We have to be strong for Davis! I have to help you evolve so I can save Davis!" Turuiemon swung his arms outwards, snapping the web holding them as he flipped backwards in order to pick up his blades off the ground and get back into a fighting pose. He watched as Wormmon groaned and slowly got back up off the ground, and prepared to rush back in for another blow, but he stopped suddenly in his tracks when Wormmon's little body began to glow, and a loud screeching noise came from Ken's darkly colored Digivice. Ken fell silent and drew the Digivice away from his chest. He stared at it with wide indigo eyes. "Wh-What's happening?" Suddenly he looked up toward Wormmon. "You... You're evolving!"

"Wormmon Digivolve to..." The tiny larvae Digimon's form began to morph under the veil of the glowing light. His antenna grew longer as his form changed, and Turuiemon found himself having to tilt his head upwards to look up at the now tall Digimon that just moments ago didn't even come up to his knee. When the light faded, standing in Wormmon's place was a tall, bipedal insect Digimon. He was covered in dark green and black armor, and his face was hidden behind a dark mask aside from glowing red eyes. Red hair stuck out from the back of the mask. His feet moved into a battle-ready position, two long claws on each balancing him perfectly. From his back spread four see-through, dragonfly-like wings. He put up his hands, heavily armored with knife-like claws on the ends, and two spikes suddenly shot out from the backs. "Stingmon!"

Ken gasped. Stingmon was his new partner? The boy remembered reading about this Digimon when he was the Kaiser and how he coveted one. A dark-armored assassin would have been the perfect soldier. Who knew Wormmon was that Digimon? "Stingmon!" Ken called. "Moon Shooter followed up with Spiking Finish, strike where you see fit!"

"Moon Shooter!" Stingmon leapt forward and kicked Turuiemon, sending the rabbit-like ninja spiraling backwards. The other Digimon quickly regained his footing. "Spiking Finish!"

"Gauntlet Claw!" Metal against metal clanged loudly as Stingmon's now glowing spikes and Turuiemon's blades clashed together. The Digimon pushed against each other before they both leapt backwards and went at it again, only to be locked in the same stalemate. Though Stingmon was now bigger, they seemed pretty evenly matched. They continued to fight, weapons hitting each other hard and fast, the two of them trading blows at a speed that almost seemed to blur their movements, until finally, the last blow was struck. Meanwhile, Ken had gone weak in the knees and fell back in the grass. He sat there watching wide-eyed and slack-jawed as the two Digimon fought. Stingmon was... unbelievable! There's no way Ken was a worthy partner of such a strong and agile fighter. A punch across the face sent Turuiemon to the ground and devolved him back into Lopmon. The little bunny Digimon groaned and slowly sat up, rubbing his cheek with his paw.

"Kokomon, are you okay?" Willis said as he came running over to his partner and picked him up. "You did great holding your own against Stingmon. That was amazing."

"Don't take me out coach; I can play another round..." Lopmom murmured, sounding dizzy, falling back into Willis' arms thankfully. Stingmon turned and slowly approached Ken. He towered above him, but then crouched down onto one knee as his spikes slid back into the armored gloves he wore. He then reached his hand out to his partner.

Ken reached a shaky hand out in return, touching the much larger hand in awe. "Wo-Wormmon?"

"Stingmon," the Digimon corrected with a hearty, strong laugh. "Need a hand, partner?"

The boy just sort of nodded dumbly. Ken gasped when Stingmon pulled him effortlessly to his feet, even feeling the ground leave him before standing back down on it. "You... You did it. You evolved..."

"You finally found the emotion that you needed to tap into the evolutionary power, Ken," Stingmon said. "You denied that you'd be able to find it for so long... once you opened your heart to it, it was easy."

"You mean... wanting to save Davis? But..." Ken bit his lip. "I've wanted that all along. What did I do now that's so different?"

"You didn't just want it," Stingmon said, shaking his head. "You believed you could actually do it."

Ken smiled now, his head turned down just slightly, shyly. "I did... didn't I?"

"That you did," Stingmon said, nodding. "Just wanting something is nice, but... it's not enough. Once you believed you could actually achieve it... that was the missing link we needed, Ken."

"I'm just glad I could finally help you evolve, Stingmon. I'm really proud of you," Ken said, still smiling. "I believe in myself even more now. I believe in us."

"I always have," Stingmon responded. Suddenly, the Champion Digimon began to glow, and he devolved back into the tiny Wormmon, who looked around almost confusedly before huffing slightly. "Darn... I liked being tall."

Ken laughed gently before picking Wormmon up and nuzzling him. "Now that we know how, you'll be evolving into Stingmon more often and you can be tall again."

"I like the sound of that," Wormmon said, antenna perking up happily.

"Well... it looks like everyone's able to Digivolve now," Izzy said, slowly walking out into the field from where he'd been standing back from the fight with the others.

"That's right," Taichi affirmed. "We can train for a few more days if needed, but if everyone feels ready, we should be getting to the Digital World and soon as possible."

"I agree," Agumon said, nodding his head.

Wormmon tilted his head back, looking up at Ken. "Are you ready to go back, Ken?"

Ken was still at first, silent and thinking. Eventually, slowly, he nodded his head. "I'm ready. Davis needs me."

"Then I'm ready to go, too," Wormmon said, nodding as well.

"We should make plans to leave soon, then," Yamato said. He turned to Ken to say, "Whenever you're ready to open that gate, I'm ready to go."

"Me too," Sora said with a nod.

"Yeah! Let's go!" TK exclaimed and pumped his fist into the air.

Joe was more reserved as usual and gave a simple nod of his head. "My examinations of everyone the past few weeks have shown we're all capable of this fight."

Willis had his arm around Izzy's shoulders while cradling Lopmon in the other. "It's time we go get our friend back."

"All right," Ken said with a nod. "I can take us tomorrow."

The next day, courage and spirits were high as the group prepared to go to the Digital World. Everyone was up early, even the most stubborn of Digimon, and they sat down to breakfast, the first meal where it felt as if they were finally unified as a team. Looking up at Ken, Wormmon could only smile proudly as the boy sat down at the table amoungst the others rather than off at the end, eve if he still wasn't very chatty. Just seeing him being a part of the group was enough. More mature versions of nostalgic outfits were donned, with the exceptions of the younger kids, who knew their clothes would change once they entered the Digital World, and Taichi, who seemed to be missing one integral element that no one would mention. Even so, they were soon prepared to go. The last bit relied on Ken.

Luckily Mr. Ishida had given Yamato the old news van for his 16th birthday. Sure it wasn't exactly street legal with some of the seats missing in the back, but the bean bag chairs worked just as well. Everyone could fit comfortably inside and that was the important part. Taichi parked in the deck right across the street from the alley, on the opposite side from the park. A few yen got them a few days in the spot. Once they were all gathered in the alley, Ken took a deep breath and looked around at everyone. "Once inside, it is imperative that you follow close behind me and don't make a sound. Davis probably still has Tapirmon patrolling the halls."

After the Digimon had all managed to file into the narrow alleyway, everyone gave quiet nods of affirmation. At the back of the group, Kari looked about the alley with a sort of sad smile. She'd been the only one to see Davis actually go back into the Digital World after he gave her Gatomon's egg, so she already recognized the place and knew exactly where Ken was going to open the gate.

Ken turned and looked at the wall in front of him. He could feel the faint sensation of static pulsing against him, letting him know exactly where the gate was. Another deep breath and Ken placed his hands on the wall. The bricks flickered briefly followed but a low humming. Sparks popped between the boy's body and the gate before a flash opened the rectangular portal. "Awesome!" Taichi exclaimed. "Go through and we'll follow you."

Ken shook his head. "If I break contact the portal will close. My body is the signature, remember? Now everyone get through. This... This is kind of hard..." The kids exchanged glances, but the Digimon quickly took the command and jumped through the gate. Their partners followed, and Wormmon climbed up onto his boy's shoulder so they could go through together, bringing up the rear. Once they were all through the gate, the little green Digimon noted that all of the other younger kids were back in the clothes they had always worn when they came to the Digital World. Looking at Ken, the boy was back in his gray school uniform, of a school he hadn't attended in many years. Ken fingered the grey material unhappily. These clothes were from days he didn't want to remember for many reasons, but there wasn't much point in wallowing. "All right, if I know Davis, he'll be in the control room. I spent a lot of time in the throne room, but the Kaiser was vain. Davis is obsessed with keeping order. So we'll go there first." He led the large group out into the hall, looking both ways before every turn. Each time they crossed paths with a Tapirmon, Ken had Wormmon trap and silence it with his Sticky Net. No one got hurt and no one got ratted out. TK followed the closest behind Ken. He was raring and ready to go in the fight to rescue Davis' body from Millenniummon's evil clutches.

Wormmon's antenna perked up and a confused expression came across his face. He tugged on his boy's clothes. "Ken," he whispered, until the boy stopped, making the group stop as well. Unlike the Tapirmon, which made barely any noise when they walked, Wormmon could hear distinct footsteps approaching them, most likely coming from a hallway just a short ways ahead, one that they'd have to turn down to head towards the control room. "Do you hear that?"

Ken listened closely to the sound and suddenly gasped. "Quick!" he whispered loudly. "Everyone get in that room! Go! Go, go, go!" He ushered everyone inside, not realizing it was an old 'play room' from his days as Kaiser, one Davis hadn't changed. Ken blushed furiously at all the devices hanging and lying about, but there was no time for that now. He reached for the door and began to open it.

"Are you crazy?" Taichi hissed and grabbed the kid's shoulder. "He hasn't passed yet!"

Ken pulled free. "I know, but we're here to face him, right? I'll go out first, to see how he is, and then you follow according to what you hear, all right? Wormmon, come with me."

"Yes, Ken," Wormmon said, nodding his head as he prepared to follow. As the door opened, Wormmon peered his head out, looking down the hall as the footsteps rounded the corner. He squinted his eyes a bit, then shook his head and looked again. Approaching them was a tall, lanky boy with tan skin and light brown hair with bangs that were so trained they almost stood up. He was dressed in what looked like an explorer's outfit, with armor on his shoulder and a red bandana around his neck. As he got closer, Wormmon could see his blue eyes, and that just told him that... "That's... not Davis."

Ken almost couldn't believe it. What were the chances, really? After all this time, he was here. It really was... "Ryo!" Ken exclaimed. The boy completely forgot himself and ran forward, throwing his arms around the long lost figure. "I can't believe it's you. I thought you were lost or trapped or... or..."

Ryo's blue eyes went wide when Ken suddenly jumped out of the room and hugged him. He'd gone stiff at first, but, looking down at the other boy, and then at Wormmon who meekly emerged after him, his expression softened with understanding first, and second, a grin. "Ken?" he asked, taking one hand and putting it gingerly on the other boy's shoulder. "Is that you? It's been so long!"

"I thought I'd never see you again!" Ken pulled back to reveal a shimmer of tears in his eyes. "Where have you been, Ryo? So many years have passed... Look at you." His pale hands touched Ryo's face, feeling rough-skinned cheeks. All his features were weather worn. Ryo looked so much older now. He had the face of a man and the body of someone as young as himself.

"I've been all over the Digital World," Ryo said with a smile and a light-hearted laugh. Though his features were hardened, his blue eyes retained their youthful spark. "I've been to almost every island and continent there is in the Digital World... but I heard from some Digimon over on Directory that something was wrong here, on Server... so I finally came back."

"Yeah, about that..." Ken looked down. "Remember Millenniummon, Ryo?"

"Of course I do," Ryo responded.

"He's back..."

"I know, Ken," Ryo said, shaking his head. "I just fought him."

Indigo eyes were wide as his head snapped back up. "Wh-What? You fought with Millenniummon? But, Davis... What happened to Davis?" Ken said, fisting Ryo's shirt in panic.

Ryo looked confused, shaking his head. "I-I don't know who that is, Ken! You mean the kid he was controlling?"

"Yes! Is he all right? Please, Ryo, tell me Davis is all right... Please!" Ken was shaking now, face going even paler.

"He was... he seemed fine," Ryo said, putting one hand up. "I didn't hurt him," he clarified, stepping back a bit so that he could raise what he held under his arm in his hands. He revealed a DigiEgg. Though it was bright purple, it had the blood-like spatter across the shell that mirrored the black as night egg that once held Millenniummon. "My Digimon partner, Monodramon, forced a DNA Digivolution between himself and Millenniummon before either side got hurt too badly..."

Ken stared at the DigiEgg. He reached out to touch it, but then he drew back. Even this close he could feel the heavy energy flowing out from the Digimon inside and it made him sick. "A DNA Digivolution? Is that really all it took?" Ken started to laugh, broken and a little crazy. "I wish you had been here a long time ago, Ryo."

Ryo held the egg closely to his chest, laughing slightly and shaking his head. "I don't think just any DNA Digivolution would have done it... Millenniummon told me a long time ago that we were destined to be partners... to always exist if the other one did, as much as I didn't like it. Monodramon sacrified himself as the new host so this could be over with and I could finally have the partner I was supposed to... at least this way, he'll be half sane." Ryo held the egg, but wouldn't rub it. "I'm going to take him back home and hopefully I'll be able to raise him into something decent, despite Millenniummon's blood in him."

"But still..." Ken sighed a heavily. "So much has gone wrong since that day I got infected. So much pain and suffering could have been avoided if only you were here sooner. Not that it's your fault!" Ken added hastily. "I just wish things had worked out differently." The two boys stood in familiar silence for a few minutes. As short as their time had been together all those years ago, they had grown incredibly close. Just feeling the other's energy... hearing his breathing... it was all the communication they needed. "Would you like to meet the other Chosen Children, Ryo?" Ken finally asked.

"There's more?" Ryo asked, looking surprised. "I... never thought there were more kids than you and I."

Ken smiled and nodded. "Davis is one. Him, you and I are only three out of fourteen Chosen Children."

"Fourteen?" Ryo asked, putting a hand on his head. "You're kidding! I've been here for years and I haven't seen any other kids..."

Again Ken nodded. "You all can come out now!" he called into the room.

"Finally!" Taichi exclaimed as he came bursting out through the door. "Joe was wheezing down my neck!"

"H-Hey!" Joe stumbled out after him. "I have a problem with cramped places!"

"Then learn to breathe through your nose, man."

Ken laughed softly. "Ryo, this is Taichi Yagami, he's the leader of the Chosen Children. He and the first generation kids fought Apocolymon. Behind him is Joe Kido. He's also a first generation child."

Ryo's expression was nothing short of shocked, but he quickly wiped it away to replace it with a grin. He took his DigiEgg and carefully slid it into a series of straps on his back that acted sort of like a sling. He'd been using it to carry rations and water, but it worked just fine for the egg. Then he stepped forward to shake both of the other boy's hands. "Nice to meet you, Taichi, Joe," he said, bowing his head slightly. When Agumon and Gomamon came out, Ryo bent down to take a look at them. "Are these your partners? Wow..." He looked even more amazed as the other kids and Digimon emerged from the room to stand in the hallway. He shook each kid's hand and had to look at every Digimon closely. When he came to Armadillomon and Hawkmon, he stopped, waving one of his fingers as he tried to recall something. "I remember you two... Oh, right!" he said, snapping his fingers. "I saw you when I got my first partner, Veemon!"

"Quite an astute young man with an excellent memory," Hawkmon declared with a ruffle of his wings. "You might be entertained to know that Davis inherited your Veemon after you! Unless of course you met him in the fight. Poor fellow doesn't remember much of working with you, but with an attention span as short as his, I'm wouldn't be surprised if his memory wasn't any better!" he finished with a posh chuckle. "Oh, that was rather good."

"Well, you certainly haven't changed," Ryo laughed, choosing not to answer what the bird had rambled about.

"I think I remember you too, dagya!" Armadillomon said, his ears flapping back and forth as he thought. "You took Veemon out of the temple, dagya."

"That's right," Ryo said, nodding.

"So that's why Veemon was in that cave instead of with Armadillomon and Hawkmon..." Gatomon murmured from the back of the group, her tail swishing from side to side.

"Well, it's good to see you guys got partners," Ryo said as he stood back up, only to turn around to look at the whole group and say, "Actually, it's really great to see how many chosen kids there are... this seems like a much better idea than it being just two of us."

"Especially since you disappeared and Millenniummon corrupted me into being evil," Ken said with a tired laugh. While Ryo had proven to possibly be the best tamer there ever was by surviving and exploring the Digital World, Ken had only grown weaker and softer in the time that passed. He had every doubt he could save anything with only his own wits to rely on. "Looks like you did our work for us, though, Ryo. We came here to fight Davis and expel Millenniummon from him, but you saved us a lot of grief."

"Glad I could help," Ryo laughed, offering a thumbs up. "I've been missing in action for so long, it's just as well that I actually do something for you guys." He frowned a bit, reaching over his shoulder to pat the egg strapped to his back. "But... you'll have to excuse me now. I need to get this DigiEgg home to Time Village before it starts trying to hatch... you guys should check on Davis, too. He fell asleep as soon as Millenniummon left his body... he's probably still in the control room."

"Davis..." Ken gazed down the hall briefly before looking back at the other boy. "It was so good to see you again, Ryo. I hope we cross paths again someday." Ken finished this with a hug and then ran toward the control room with all the speed his legs could grant him.

Taichi stepped forward to shake Ryo's hand one last time. "You seem pretty cool. If you ever want to join the team, you look me up, all right?"

"I'll keep it in mind," Ryo said with a grin and a firm handshake. "That all depends on if this guy's ever going to be a team player," he said, gesturing towards the egg. "Until that day... well, if you can find Time Village, you can find me." With that, he saluted to the other Digidestined before turning to make his way out of the haven. The group watched him go, then turned to briskly follow Ken. Even as their pace picked up to keep up with the boy, Ken was still the one that got to the control room first.

When he opened the door, he'd come upon the sight of Davis curled up on the floor, apparently sound asleep, with a small figure floating over him, a golden glow emanating around him. "Cupimon!" Wormmon growled.

Ken's eyes narrowed and he felt his chest fill with an emotion he thought he could never manage again. Rage. "Get away from him!" the boy shouted, wasting no time in running forward. "Touch him and you'll find yourself back as an egg before you can even blink!" The words coming out of his own mouth frightened Ken. They echoed back too much to his time as the Kaiser, but damn it... Cupimon was not going to screw with him anymore!

Cupimon looked over his shoulder, frowning as the kids and Digimon crowded into the room. "You're too late," the Digimon hissed, as his body was enveloped by the golden glow. It then shot into the back of Davis' neck, into the weakened gash that Millenniummon had left when his presence was torn from Davis' now weakened body. The golden glow shined brightly for a moment, and then vanished, leaving the room still and silent. None of the Digimon or children were sure if they should move or even breathe for fear of something happening. After a long silence, Davis stirred. He groaned gently, uncurling from his sleeping position. He then slowly got to his feet, his back facing the other children.

"Davis!" Ken's emotions were winning over his mind, causing the boy to rush forward. He threw his arms around Davis, hands clasping over the other boy's chest, and pressed his body flush up against Davis' back. "Davis... Davis, say something. Don't let Cupimon control you. I need you back! Say something!"

"Nngh... Ken..." Davis' voice came quietly at first. There was a cracking noise, and he put his hands on his head, groaning. "Ken, back up...."

"Davis?" Ken hurried around in front of Davis. "It's okay... It's okay..." His hands cupped the boy's jaw. "Davis, Davis, look at me. Stay with me."

Taichi, still standing a ways off with the others, put a hand on Yamato's shoulder. "This isn't over," he said quietly to the blonde. "Take Kari, Mimi, Izzy, and Yolei around the left side. I'll take the others around the right. Be on your guard, okay?" Yamato nodded, quickly rounded up his half of the group and starting to get into position. He knew as well as Taichi that they weren't going to get a simple victory. Davis stumbled back, jerking his face away from Ken's hands. He whimpered as another audible crack echoed through the room, and blood began to seep up between his fingers.

"Don't pull away, Davis!" Ken urged and followed him. He gasped when he saw the blood, hands coming to hold Davis' wrists. "Joe, he needs help!"

And as much as the doctor wished he could cure what was ailing Davis, it just wasn't that simple. "I can't do anything for him, Ken," the young man replied with a regretful shake of his head.

"Wh-What? But Davis is hurt! He's bleeding! Can't you do something?" Indigo eyes looked back on the tan figure. "Davis, you should sit down..."

Davis shook his head slightly. "No, Ken, you need to get back!" he snapped. He tried to jerk away from Ken's hands, but they just pulled on Davis' wrists, making them come off of his head. With a few more cracks, two small, wings of white, though bloodstained feathers rose up from his skull.

Ken just stared, as did all the others, at the small wings on Davis' head. "No..." Ken's voice was barely heard until he started screaming. "No! No! No! No! No! Get out! Get out of him right now!" He didn't think when he grabbed arched shoulders and began to shake them. "Give him back! Davis is supposed to be better now! Don't ruin it! Don't you dare! Now give Davis back to me!" Taichi gritted his teeth. He couldn't just leave Ken there in the heart of the danger zone, but he couldn't risk breaking his position in case an attack comes.

Davis let himself be shaken like a ragdoll at first. But eventually, his eyes widened, and then narrowed a second later. "Divine Feet!" he growled, suddenly lifting up his leg and kicking Ken, sending him sailing backwards onto the metal floor.

"Ken!" Wormmon gasped, rushing over to his boy's side. Davis stumbled backwards again when his shoulders were released, starting to groan and wince in pain again. There was a loud ripping noise, coupled with more grotesque cracks, as blood shot across the room in a sharp spatter. The white ward clothing he wore was torn to shreds as ten bloodstained wings grew from his back, the bones making sickening noises as they slowly contorted into their proper form.

A horrified scream was heard, but it wasn't Ken. The pale boy was lying motionless on his back. The scream had come from Kari who now had her hands clamped over her eyes. TK had to fight the urge to run to her side while also fighting his own feelings of anger and fear. Sora stood with her hands over her mouth, her copper colored eyes wide. Even Joe was having a hard time dealing with all the blood and exposed, feathery bones. Taichi looked over at Yamato, silently communicating a need to attack now. Even if no one else was ready in that moment, Agumon and Gabumon needed to jump in there, evolved to their absolute fullest. They had to stop this before it started.

Yamato nodded, and Gabumon and Agumon rushed out to confront the boy, standing between him and where Ken now lay on the ground as Wormmon tried fruitlessly to drag him out of the line of fire. Gabumon and Agumon quickly Warp Digivolved to their Mega forms and stood to oppose him. Davis started to lift his hand, only for Lopmon and Terriermon to gasp when they realized that if he attacked, he could still hit Ken. It was Kabuterimon who rushed forward with the first attack, as Turuiemon and Gargomon ran behind the Megas to help Wormmon move Ken out of the battlefield. "Electric Storm!" Kabuterimon flew straight at Davis, electricity surging about him. Bloodshot eyes snapped over to stare at Kabuterimon, and he swung his hand over, facing him instead. Kabuterimon collided head-on with a purple barrier, and with another flick of his hand, the bug was sent sailing back towards the wall. Willis and Izzy just barely managed to dive out of the way before the huge insect slammed into the metal, sliding down to the floor.

MetalGarurumon knew there was no time to waste. Even if Ken wasn't totally in the clear, they had to do this. "Grace Cross Freezer!" he declared, all his missile canisters opening at once to launch an icy cold barrage on Davis. He even followed the attack with a furious howl of his Cocytus Breath for good measure.

"Grand Cross," Davis said in a calm voice. Ten spheres of light appeared and engulfed the missiles, creating a huge explosion that turned the force of the attack back on the two Digimon.

"Mega Claw!" WarGreymon roared, rushing towards him, but again, he hit a barrier and was thrown backwards. Every time the purple barrier was hit, purple markings began to appear across the boy's tan skin, which had been becoming lighter the more time he spent inside the haven. The purple marks appeared as if being drawn on, the first symbol appearing being the Digital Hazard symbols on his hands.

"Remove yourselves from my haven." Davis' voice sounded as if both he and someone else were speaking as one. "Leave now."

Hoping to maybe have an advantage overhead, Halsemon and Nefertimon swooped in for an attack. "Mach Impulse!" Halesmon declared as the pressurized wind blades sailed off from his helmet.

"Curse of Queen!" Nefertimon cried and aimed the beam of light at the center of Davis' back.

Meanwhile, Ken was finally coming to. He groaned softly as he pushed up on one arm, the other rubbing his chest which hurt like a mother. Indigo eyes glanced up only to widen in terror. "Oh my God..."

"Grand Cross!" Again the spheres came forth and destroyed the attacks before they could even get close, creating a backlash that sent the two newest attackers flying back as well.

"Harpoon Torpedo!" Ikkakumon's attack was also deflected, the explosion so powerful that he was devolved back into Gomamon in the blast.

"Leave my haven," Davis hissed again in his echoing voice. "Or I will remove you forcefully."

Ken at once looked down at his Digimon. "Stingmon, now! Please!"

Wormmon tried to Digivolve, but something was wrong. He shut his eyes tightly, but when he opened them again, he was still at ground-level. He clicked his claws together, his antenna drooping. "I'm... not Digivolving," he warbled disappointedly.

There was a sudden rush of wind as Davis lifted himself up off the ground, managing to hover even as his bloody wings cracked and creaked with every flap. Beneath him, he forcefully ripped open a Digital Gate, and it widened with every passing second, with the intent to engulf the entire floor. Gargomon leapt for the door, but found the same purple force that protected Davis was now keeping them inside the room, forcing them back against the walls as the gate grew bigger. "Leave!"

While many of the larger Digimon were able to scoop up their children, Ken picked Wormmon up and held the little insect against his chest. "It's all right, you tried." Ken then turned his attention back to Davis, or... what at least resembled Davis. "Cupimon, stop!" he shouted, but his voice was fading with fear and guilt. "I won't let you do this! Now let Davis go!"

"No longer Cupimon," the voices laughed, turning tired eyes down to look at Ken as the final touches to the purple markings across his body solidfied. "Soon, when I break free of this shell, I will be... Lucemon."

"You can't!" Ken cried. "It will destroy Davis!"

"Do you think I care?" he hissed, waving his hands again, making the gate continue to widen, pressing the Digidestined against the walls. "Once this incubation process is complete, I can pick up where Millenniummon left off. But unlike him, I'm not emotionally tied to some human," he sneered. "He did a good job starting to fix up this world. But now the Messiah has a bit more work to do before Lucemon takes over proper."

"No! No, you tricked me! Give him back! Give Davi-" Ken's voice was cut short when the floor finally gave way to the gate beneath him. There was a brief second in which Ken was suspended there. Indigo eyes looked one last time up at the boy he'd lost yet again. It was almost impossible to see Davis beneath the power, the markings, and the crude wings, but Ken caught the tiniest glimmer in those eyes. A glimmer of the child inside begging for help. Begging Ken to save him from his nightmare of possession. Only now Ken felt a rush of air around him as he was thrown from the Haven. All the others were shouting in a panic, but Ken was just silent.


	7. To Kill A God

The Digital Gate that had been opened dropped the children and all of their now devolved Digimon back in Odaiba. Rather than coming out of the gate in the alley, however, they fell from the sky into the park nearby Taichi's apartment. Luckily, the drop wasn't from too high up, but it was enough that there were yelps of pain as everyone was piled onto the ground. The Digimon groaned as they lay on the ground, most of them dizzy and disoriented from their forceful de-Digivolutions. "Argh! We should've had him!" TK growled and pounded the ground with his fists.

"No, we shouldn't have," Taichi replied with a shake of his head. "We trained to fight Millenniummon, not this Cupimon guy. He's something else all together. I think we have a bigger problem now than we did before."

Tentomon had his claws hooked under Izzy's arms, helping the boy to sit up when he spoke. "Indeed, we do. Cupimon is attempting an evolution into Lucemon. I have read about him in the ancient texts. Long ago when the Digital World was still young, there was a war between the human and the creature Digimon. The world was in chaos. It wasn't until Lucemon descended from the heavens that a new reign of order and harmony began. Unfortunately, Lucemon went mad with power and so he summoned an even longer period of darkness. Lucemon was later defeated by a band of warriors and his power divided. Only now, it seems Cupimon has taken advantage of the new chaos Millenniummon created in order to resurrect his position of, well... God."

"This is not good, dagya," Armadillomon groaned from where he was laying on his back, unable to get up thanks to his curved shell, waving his paws in the air helplessly.

"If Lucemon's possession works like Millenniummon, then he's going to feed Davis' delusions of being a god, especially with those wings," Patamon said, settling on his partner's head and frowning, ears drooped.

Cody crawled over to his Digimon and helped him onto his feet. "But how do you kill a god?" the young boy asked.

"I think Patamon just gave us our answer," said Taichi. "To bring down a god, you rip off his wings."

"Seems a bit extreme..." Joe murmured.

Taichi frowned. "We don't have time for pleasantries anymore, Joe. You saw what he was capable of, and who knows how much stronger he's going to get."

"You guys, something's wrong with Ken!" cried Sora. She was knelt down beside the boy who was huddled over a pile of his own sick no one had heard. Ken was clutching himself, shaking like leaf, eyes wide and contracted like two violet specks in a pool of milky white. "Ken?" she spoke softly. "Ken, calm down..."

Izzy had quickly joined the girl and his own eyes widened, looking over his shoulder and quickly waving for Joe to make his way over as the rest of the children also turned their attention on the other boy. The redhead bit his lip slightly and backed up to let their doctor through. "What's wrong with him?" he asked quietly, when Sora's gentle words proved fruitless.

Joe turned Ken's face up to look at him. He expected some resistance, but It was quite easy with Ken being almost dangerously submissive to physical suggestion. Joe studied the boy's eyes and felt his forehead. "Can you speak for me?" the young man asked, but Ken just kept staring at him, breathing coming fast and shaky. "He's in shock," Joe finally concluded. "Something about this has set him off. I need to get him home. Now."

Taichi nodded. "We'll all go back to my place. I'll get the van." And then he was off toward the parking deck on the other side of the street. Soon enough the children had helped Ken into the van, and it wasn't too long before they'd arrived at Taichi's place. Ken was easily carried on his back as they all headed upstairs, the Digimon walking in step with their children in hopes that no one would see them, even though hiding didn't work out so well for most of them. They still had no issues getting up into the apartment, and Joe and Taichi had quickly vanished into the bedroom to tend to the boy. Everyone else sat in an awkward dejectedness. None of them were expecting to come back from their conquest into the Digital World like this. They'd been expecting to either win or lose, sure, but this was even more than that. Eventually, Mimi and Palmon offered to make food, and eager for something to do, Yamato followed them. The rest of the kids and Digimon still sat silently in the living room, except for Wormmon, who was standing in the doorway of the bedroom, antenna drooped and a guilty expression on his face.

TK had taken off his hat. It was something he rarely did, and it reflected his real mood when he did. Sora sat on the couch with her head in her hands. She'd never seen anyone look like that before. She kept seeing Ken's eyes in her mind and it made her shiver. Cody was in his usual spot on the floor by a window, kneeling down and looking very peaceful. And it was Cody who broke the silence. "He carries too much guilt."

Everyone looked over at the boy when he spoke, not having expected anything to break the silence save for the sound of drawers opening and closing from the kitchen. "What do you mean by that, dagya?" Armadillomon asked his partner from where he sat next to him, echoing the question everyone else was thinking.

"Cupimon is the one who initially deceived Ken in the first place," Cody said, recalling Ken's story. "Instead of putting the blame on Cupimon, he is putting it all on himself. Ken feels that it is his fault Davis is now possessed by Cupimon. Had Ken not fallen for his tricks, Cupimon would not have been able to manipulate Davis. Ken feels that he abandoned Davis when he was needed most. Now the situation has become most dire and he carries all the guilt with himself."

"Oh, I see..." Biyomon said from where she sat on the floor in front of Sora. "That's so sad..."

"Is there anything we can do to show him that it'll be okay?" Gomamon asked.

"I don't think so," Izzy sighed, leaning back on the couch. "I mean... it took him this long to even trust himself to be a part of the group. I think the best way to help him is, well... to just do what we were trying to do before. Fix everything."

Wills draped one of his arms around Izzy's shoulders. "If Ken can't get over this, do you think we can win without him? I mean... What if he can't bring himself to go back in there?"

"Then we're just going to have to try without him," Terriermon said with a tiny frown.

"If he can't do it, we can't force him. We just need to do our best without him if he doesn't want to go back," Lopmon agreed.

"I think we need to strategize before we even try to go back," TK suggested. The suggestion seemed to reign even truer when he said it, since he was the one who wanted to go back more than anyone else. "Going in and just 'doing our best' isn't going to cut it anymore. We have to decide who's going to attack, how, when, and where."

"You're right," Izzy agreed with a nod. "We can't just charge in."

"But how are we supposed to strategize?" Yolei asked, putting her head in her hand. "We don't even know if what we saw today is all he's capable of. We can't plan if he'll just pull another trick out of his sleeve."

"Davis is still only human," Cody pointed out. "Humans are not perfect creatures."

TK nodded. "Exactly. Even with Cupimon possessing him, Davis isn't a master fighter. He can't fend all of us off at once. Assuming that Divine Feet, Grand Cross, and those force-fields are all he can do, we can plan around that. A bunch of Digimon could surround him on the ground, see? That way his attention is on them. However, we'll have two or three Digimon overhead as well. You can't defend all sides at once. If we get him fighting the distraction ring, the others can launch an attack from above."

"That seems like a fair plan," Izzy said with a nod.

"But what if he opens another gate, dagya?" Armadillomon asked, his ears standing upright in alarm. "Then all of us around him will fall through really quick, and he'll go for the flyers, dagya!"

"That's why we have to go in and execute our plans immediately," TK said. "We can't spare one moment or he'll use it to his advantage. If we keep Davis busy, then we limit what he's capable of."

Nods of agreement coupled TK's words from most of the kids and Digimon in the room. It seemed like the best idea, to hit him hard and fast and hope that it would throw him off and give them the upper hand. "Well..." Yolei said, nodding before looking at the hallway where Wormmon still stood. "I'm willing to go back and try again as soon as everyone else is."

"The only question left," Willis began as his eyes followed Yolei's, "is whether Ken will be with us or not."

Cody shook his head. "It is too early to tell. We must allow Joe and Taichi to finish their business with him. In the meantime, I think tea is in order." The boy stood to go prepare the drink and to also check on the food Mimi and Yamato were preparing.

The apartment was soon full of the sounds of a kettle whistling and the sizzle of whatever Mimi and Yamato were cooking, which became apparent when the smell of chicken began to waft through the place. "That smells good, dagya," Armadillomon whispered, his tail starting to wag. It seemed as if the tense feeling of their initial defeat was starting to lift and was almost completely gone by the time Palmon started bringing out food, putting it down on the table in the living room before rushing off to get more. Finally, the children started to loosen up. After all, none of them would be doing themselves or Davis any favors by spending the entire night brooding.

TK poured a cup of tea for Kari, handing it to her and then putting a hand on her back. "How are you holding up? I'm sorry I didn't ask you before."

"I'm... I'm okay," she said quietly, bringing the cup to her lips, only to hesitate. "That was... gruesome," she said with a sigh, lowering it again and allowing the smoke to wisp up from the cup and into the air.

"I'm sorry you had to see it," he offered gently.

"I don't think anyone should have had to," she sighed. "I'm just worried about Ken. It obviously really did a number on him to see that happen."

"I don't think I'd be doing any better if it had been you," the boy said as his arm came to circle comfortingly around her waist.

Kari nodded, leaning her head to the side to let it rest on his shoulder after she finally took a sip of the tea. "Same here. I'll be surprised if he wants to go back after this... I know I wouldn't."

"I'm surprised he took us back this first time," TK admitted. "To go back again after all this... Ken would either be really brave or just crazy."

Kari shook her head. "I don't think it's either of those things. He just... really wants Davis back. We do too, but he definitely wants it the most."

TK nodded. "Yeah... Davis is the only person Ken has had with him for a really long time. I can understand the attachment."

"Oh come on, TK," Sora finally spoke. "You know it's more than that."

"Well... Well, sure, but..."

"But what?" Patamon asked curiously, looking up at his partner.

"Maybe I just don't understand how they can be in love. Sure, I get how close they are as people, but... This insane need to be together, I just don't get. Neither of them has known the true personality of the other at the same time for more than a few days. It just doesn't seem possible."

"I think it's a bit more complicated than we think it is," Izzy said, shaking his head. "I don't think either of them aren't aware of what the other is like. I theorize that even when taken over, they're perfectly aware of what's going on around them, but can't control themselves... which is why Ken feels so guilty about what he did as the Kaiser." The redhead leaned forward a little, idly brushing his bangs off his forehead. "If that's the case, Ken has known what the real Davis is like for a while now... ever since Davis was released from the Dark Spiral."

"When I was being controlled by the virus... it was like that," Lopmon offered from Izzy's feet. "I was still me, but I couldn't control myself. And I remember what I did, even though I didn't wanna do it."

"Which is why we're going to help Davis the same way we helped you," Willis assured his Digimon as he picked the little rabbit creature up and into his lap.

"Right." Taichi said with a nod as he came out of his bedroom. "First thing tomorrow, we go in. We can't wait."

Sora looked up at the brunet. "But what about Ken, Taichi?" He just closed his eyes and shook his head silently.

"If that's how he feels, we can't force him," Kari said around the lip of her teacup. "We need to go back... even if it hurts... we can't give that Lucemon more time."

"Maybe later on he'll want to fight with us," Lopmon said, "But I know how much it hurts to have to do stuff you don't wanna do... so we gotta give it our all to get him free now!"

"It's not that," Taichi said. "Ken... Ken's really sick now. Joe isn't sure what's wrong. As far as he can tell... Ken's emotions are just wearing him down physically. It's like his body can't handle all his own feelings... I didn't really understand all of it," he explained while rubbing the back of his neck.

Lopmon's eyes went wide, and suddenly his bravado died and he flopped down, ears drooping. "It's not a panic attack? Like the ones Davis had?" Izzy asked.

"Not exactly..." Taichi tried to explain again. "Joe says it's like when you don't eat or sleep for a really long time, and your body starts going to sleep on you. At least, that's what I got from it. Ken is sick, sick, not just anxiety sick. He's worried himself into being physically ill. Joe isn't sure what to do. Basically we just have to watch him. So long story short, until Ken his better, he won't be going with us."

"I see," Izzy said, leaning back again with a quiet sigh.

"Should we really leave him by himself when we go back?" Biyomon asked worriedly. "What if something happens?"

Taichi looked back into the room and then at his friends again. "I don't think anything is going to happen to him. Joe says he'll most likely sleep for a long time. Besides, Wormmon will be here with him."

"What'll he do if there's an emergency?" Biyomon argued, flapping her wings as she exclaimed, "He couldn't reach the phone to call for help!"

Now Taichi raised an eyebrow at the pink bird. "What exactly do you think is going to happen, Biyomon?"

"Well, I don't know," Biyomon said as she let her wings drop. "But whatever's wrong with him sounds serious! Wh-what if his heart gives out or he starts to have trouble breathing? You never know what could go wrong!"

He gave the bird a sort of tired smile. "I don't think it's as serious as that, Biyomon. Ken is just exhausted and anxious right now. What he needs is lot of peace and quiet, plenty of sleep, and to eat more. Don't worry so much."

"If you're sure..." Biyomon said, the curl on her head drooping. "I'd still feel better if someone stayed with him, though."

"Maybe Joe and I should stay," Gomamon offered, looking up at Taichi. "I wasn't much help during the fight today, anyway... I can't move that fast and I just caused more explosions. Joe can make sure he's healthy and okay, too."

Taichi bit his lip. "I dunno... We need all of us for the fight. If more and more of us start staying behind..." He looked over at the older blond. "Yamato, what do you think?"

Yamato was leaning against the wall between the living room and the kitchen, frowning slightly as he thought. "I agree with Biyomon, that we can't know what could go wrong until it actually happens. But... we will have the best advantage if we all go to fight." Blue eyes looked at the seal-like Digimon who had been sitting on the table, but had hopped down onto the floor to make way for the plates of food. "Gomamon also brings up a pretty good point, though. As Ikkakumon, he does cause a lot of explosions that could be dangerous and he can't move too fast, since there's no water in that building... and even as Zudomon, I don't think he could fit." He moved his gaze over to Taichi. "I think you should ask Joe. If he wants to monitor Ken, let him do that, but if he thinks we all need to attack and can't afford his and Gomamon's absence... then we'll do that."

Taichi nodded. "Right, okay." Conveniently enough, Joe emerged a few minutes later from the bedroom. He and Taichi exchanged whispered words before Joe handed him a vile of crimson liquid.

Sora paled slightly. "Is that-"

"Yeah," Taichi cut her off. "Joe brought a lot of his equipment with him from school. We need this. If Ken is the signature for opening the gate, then we need his blood to get through. Speaking of which, Joe..." He turned to face the older boy. "We were all talking about when we go back. Some of us are worried about leaving Ken alone. Gomamon insists that he and you stay, but at the same time we need everyone with us to fight."

Joe shook his head. "I can't go back right away. Whoever is concerned is right. Ken is far too weak right now to be by himself. You saw him in there. The poor kid can't even sit up, let alone eat or drink on his own. No, Gomamon and I will sit the first round out, sorry."

Biyomon looked proud of herself, but didn't say anything more. Gloating over guessing someone's state of health deterioration just didn't seem to be in good taste. "Should we stay here tonight, dagya?" Armadillomon asked. "I mean... are we going back tomorrow, dagya?"

Taichi was the one to answer again. "Yes, everyone is getting a good night's rest before we go back tomorrow. I've got a blow up mattress and some sleeping bags, and the couch pulls out. We'll have to do the best we can." The children sat down for dinner, and to talk about their plan for the next day. TK was right, they needed a better plan than to just barge in, especially with Ken and Joe now both out of commission. His initial idea of a ring on the ground with a surprise attack from the air started off as their jumping off point, and they continued to develop the plan from there. When it was starting to get late, the mattresses and sleeping bags were pulled out and everyone tried their best to find a place. The Digidestined were all so close that most of them didn't mind sharing with any of the others, and the Digimon were even easier to please, curling up next to feet or getting comfortable on the floor, or, in the case of smaller ones, perched on the back of the couch or in windowsills.

Taichi and Yamato woke everyone up fairly early the next morning. It was a surprise to see the brunet up at this hour, but he was sure enough. Coffee, tea, or milk was given to those who wanted it. Yamato had whipped up a big batch of scrambled eggs and made plenty of toast for everyone. Sure it was super simple, but it was all they needed. Taichi checked in on Joe and Ken one last time before leading the gang down to the van. Again they parked in the same place and got themselves gathered in the alley. "Be on your guard," he instructed while pulling out the vial of blood and tapping it against the wall. "We don't know what to expect in there."

The kids and Digimon nodded. At first, nothing happened, but eventually sparks began to jump off the vial and the gate opened. Everyone filed inside as quietly as they could. The place seemed just as peaceful and quiet as it had the other day when they first entered. They slowly began to follow the path they had taken to get to the control room the other day, though it was hard considering last time, they had Ken as a guide. They didn't have to make it all the way, however, as words soon began to echo angrily through the halls. "Leave my haven or I will remove you forcefully!"

The leader of the group grinned. "Sounds like the same old song and dance to me, huh guys?" he said to the others over his shoulder. "Let's go!" Taichi shouted, throwing his arm forward in a signal to charge. They all followed the bitter and angry voice until they found him in the throne room rather than the control room. Without wasting a second, all the Digimon evolved to Megas, Ultimates, and Armors. "This is it, Cupimon!" Taichi said bravely. "All you have to do is surrender Davis to us, but until then, this is a fight! Everyone, move in!"

Davis turned to look at them with a quirked brow. "Who exactly are you talking to?" he asked, as the Digimon surrounded him. His wings no longer were bloodstained or had exposed bones, they had grown in fully, feathered brilliant white. His clothes were still a torn up mess of white fabric, however. "I don't know who Cupimon is," he continued, spinning around to look at the Digimon with a sneer on his face. "I am Daisuke Motomiya, the Digimon Messiah. You should know that."

"That may be," Taichi began, "but you still aren't Davis." For a few seconds Taichi was having second thoughts about attacking. Cupimon didn't seem as in control as he was yesterday, but did that mean Davis didn't possess his abilities? For Digimon to attack a defenseless human was dangerous, but so was making innocent assumptions. Maybe a test first... "Pegasusmon! Nefertimon! Go!"

Both Digimon nodded and took to the air. "Sanctuary Bind!" they called out in unison, producing the golden line and instantly wrapping Davis in it, pulling tight. Davis gasped in surprise, growling. He wriggled for a moment within the confines of the attack, but it was his wings that stretched back out to their full span and snapped the golden line.

"Good enough for me," Taichi said. "All right, gang, just like we planned. Go!" MetalGarurumon was first to use his Laser Sight to distract Davis and even get him a little panicked, if they were lucky. While this was going on, Halsemon aimed his Red Sun as best he could in order to paralyze Davis. Getting the human's body to stiffen up was easy. Hitting each of his wings so they could flap around and get him airborne was the hard part. With both these attacks keeping Davis occupied, Lilymon and Garudamon circled overhead. Not wanting to waste time, but also wanting to make this count, Lilymon carefully aimed her Flower Cannon at one of the wings on Davis' head. The chosen children's plan proved to work much better than their attempts to get close the day before. It seemed as if Cupimon's influence had melted into Davis' personality and he wasn't as capable with his powers as he was when he was being fully possessed. Lilymon's attack connected, and Davis let out a high-pitched yell of pain as the blast from the cannon made the feathers fly off his wing in the blast. What was left of the wing was a boney protrusion, and it disintegrated into white powder that sprinkled his hair and the floor. He fell to his knees, putting his hands on the spot on his head where the wing used to have been connected. WarGreymon ran in in an attempt to attack a second time, but brown eyes snapped up and he thrust one of his hands forward, sending the Mega Digimon sailing backwards.

"Not so fast, big boy!" Lilymon said, overflowing with confidence thanks to the shot she managed to pull off. "Flower Wreath!" she sang and flew in circles around Davis. She had entangled both his arms in her vines and flowers, and pulled them up over his head. "Somebody take a shot!" Lilymon shouted, knowing she couldn't hold him forever.

Taking the attack on WarGreymon as a sign of effective powers within Davis, MegaKabuterimon decided a full on attack was survivable. That's why he charged himself up to release his "Horn Buster!" which landed the human in the chest.

Davis shouted in pain when the Horn Buster attack hit him, and with another powerful snap, his wings had busted free of Lilymon's vines. He then sailed straight upwards. "Divine Feet!" He kicked her under her jaw, flipping her over midair, and then, "Divine Feet!" With another kick, he'd hit her in the back of the head and bulleted her head-first into the steel floor below.

"Tempest Wing!" Halsemon wasted no time jumping where Lilymon had been dropped out. He spun in a mad fury, creating a concentrated tornado that not even Davis' wings could master.

Nefertimon came up behind Halsemon with her own attack. "Nile Jewelry!" she exclaimed and sent a barrage of gem stones into the tornado from the gloves on her paws.

"Gold Rush!" Digmon called, shooting his drills into the combo as well.

"Grand Cross!" Davis swept his hands to either side, creating the great blast attack. It hit Halsemon straight on and almost immediately devolved him as he too was shot to the ground, and the drills and stones exploded. "Leave my haven!" he screeched, the purple hazard symbols on his hand burning with the energy from the attack, prepared to strike again at the next Digimon that came close.

The twins saw no point in strategy anymore. The Digimon were dropping like flies and it was time to take action. "Gauntlet Claw!" shouted Turuiemon.

"Gatling Arm!" Gargomon called at the same time. The twins moved in unison, releasing their attacks on Davis at once.

"Grand Cross!" Davis again shot his powerful attack, and once more it rendered the attacking Digimon useless. He grinned, a smarmy expression coming across his face, even as his single head-wing flapped about, looking rather unbalanced without its twin. "Give up," Davis hissed, lifting himself up off of the ground and, like last time, starting to conjure up a digital gate. "Leave my haven!"

"We can't do that Davis!" Nefertimon replied. "MegaKabuterimon!"

"Got it! Horn Buster!" the giant beetle roared and hurled a giant ball of electricity toward Davis.

"Rosetta Stone!" Nefertimon coupled her attack with the other, sending multiple stone slabs into orbit around the electric sphere.

This time, Davis created the purple shield, and the attack fizzled against it, though he did shake with the force of the stone slabs as they hit his defenses. He then seemed to break free of his own bubble, sending shots of pale purple energy in all directions. "I said leave!" he roared, as he flew up to attack Nefertimon with a powerful punch from beneath.

"Horn Buster!"

"Grace Cross Freezer!" Another coupled attack on the part of MegaKabuterimon and MetalGarurumon was aimed right as Davis. The missiles sped ahead of the static orb, ready to break any barrier set up so the electricity to get through.

Finally, the attack got through. Davis was so busy hitting Nefertimon that he didn't see the attack coming. It hit him square in the back, and he let out a gut wrenching scream as the electricity surged through him. Where he might have fallen as a human, Cupimon's power forced him to keep going. "Grand Cross!" The spheres he generated were aimed at MegaKabuterimon and MetalGarurumon, creating huge explosions that generated a good amount of smoke, which was beginning to fill the throne room. Davis smirked, seeming to think he'd taken down every Digimon, and went back to concentrating on opening the digital gate.

But he'd forgotten just one Digimon. "Wing Blade!" Again attacking from behind, and from within the shroud of the smoke, Garudamon's attack hit Davis' second head-wing. Just like the last one, it disintegrated into white dust. He cried out in pain before turning on the bird Digimon.

"Grand Cross!" The attack hit her head-on, and devolved her back into Biyomon, dropping her into the digital gate.

While the other children had had time to pick up their partners, ready for the hurl back into the real world, Sora had to run and dive after Biyomon in order to catch the pink bird. They fell through the gate at the same time which left Sora tumbling head first into the grass with Biyomon tucked into her chest. When the rolling finally stopped, the girl sat up and looked at her Digimon. "That was fantastic, Biyomon! You got him!"

"Great job, Palmon!" Mimi was also squealing praisingly as the others slowly sat up, rubbing heads and groaning, Digimon looking around confusedly.

"I did, didn't I?" Biyomon laughed, the curl atop her head twitching. "He was still able to beat us, but... we got rid of two of his wings. I think Taichi might be on to something!"

"Thanks, Mimi!" Palmon squealed along with her tamer. Even the flower petals on her head were rustling with pride.

Taichi stood, making sure Agumon was at his side and patting him on the head. "Everyone did really great today. We made progress in finding out that Davis really does have a weakness. There's a real way to take him out. An angel without its wings is only a human, right? So we need to get Davis back down into being a human, one wing at a time."

"Do you think it will all be as simple as just blasting them off him?" Biyomon asked, tilting her head. "And do you think he'll really just let us keep coming in through that gate?"

Taichi shook his head. "Not at this point. We managed to actually hurt him and he's going to make sure we don't do it again. I'm sure that gate is going to be demolished soon, if it isn't all ready. As for how simple getting his wings off will be? Only time will tell. We should go in with that as a plan though. Small game first, though. The wings on his head are gone so we should aim for those ones on his hips next."

"That sounds like a great plan, Taichi," Agumon said, nodding his head. "I guess our biggest challenge now is going to be trying to open a new gate."

"Maybe Ken can open one for us," suggested TK.

Sora frowned. "That's a lot of pressure to put on him right now."

"I know, and I'm not proud of it, but that's my idea. Ken could open gates all over the place when he was the Kaiser."

"And that's not something we need to remind him of!" Sora argued.

TK made short argumentative sounds before turning to his older brother. "Yamato, tell her my idea is the only good one!"

"It's not a good idea," Yamato said, shaking his head. "But it's the only one we have right now."

Taichi looked at Izzy. "Unless you think you can manage it?"

"I could try," Izzy said. "As long as you don't mind me messing with your computer. And I'll have to go home for some of my equipment..."

"Will we have time for all that?" Agumon asked.

"It won't take that long," the redhead said, shaking his head. "If I go tonight I could start working on it as soon as I get back to Japan."

Taichi nodded. "We'll ask Ken if he's willing when we get home. If he agrees, it will save you the trouble of going back to America."

Again, Taichi found his apartment crowded. The children and Digimon once more sat down to a meal to strategize and dicusss what had to be done. Wormmon greeted the group and took a plate of food, holding it up over his head as he cautiously walked into the bedroom, coming to stand at the foot of Joe's chair. "Can... can he eat?" the Digimon asked quietly, holding the plate up.

Joe looked down and offered a small smile. "A little. He needs to anyway." He took up the plate and gestured that Wormmon was allowed on the bed. "Ken, I have some dinner here for you." Ken opened his eyes slightly and looked at the man. He didn't say anything and started to close his eyes again. "No, Ken, it's not time for sleeping. You need to eat." Joe got the boy sitting up, but only with the help of the four pillows mounted behind him. Joe tried offering a piece of bread from the sandwich, but Ken didn't take it. That's when the young man looked to the small Digimon, smiling. "Why don't you try?"

"From what I saw," said Taichi after slurping up some noodles, "attacking two at a time seems to work well. The first attack breaks the barrier allowing the second attack to make contact. We should plan like that."

"I noticed that too," Yamato said, nodding in agreement. "Just trying to hit one at a time gives him time to counter."

Wormmon cautiously got up onto the bed, crawling up the bedpost and take the bread from Joe, holding it up to his partner as best as he could, even when it was nearly his size. "Ken? Ken, you have to have something..."

Ken seemed to perk up a little bit. Very tired, foggy indigo eyes landed on the little worm Digimon. Then there was the slightest of smiles as he reached out and rubbed Wormmon's head. "Garudamon and Lilymon were great today, but we might not be able to pull that off again. Anyone should take the shot if they can, but he may be on to you two," Taichi instructed.

"Maybe we should be a diversion!" Biyomon suggested. "He'll suspect us to try and attack again, so maybe we could distract him while someone else goes for another wing." Wormmon smiled in his own way as well, and lifted up the bread a bit more to try and pass it to his boy.

Weak fingers took hold of the bread and Ken nibbled on it slowly. When it was gone, he smiled at Wormmon again. Taichi nodded. "That's actually a great idea. You know, since MetalGarurumon and MegaKabutarimon actually broke Davis' shield, they might have the best chance of striking this time."

"How are you feeling, Ken?" Wormmon asked, putting his claws on the back of his partner's hand.

"I'm more than ready to try," Yamato said, nodding, which was mirrored by Izzy.

Ken just closed his eyes with another smile and rubbed his Digimon's head again. "He's still a little withdrawn," Joe explained. "Ken may not talk for a few more days."

"All right, then it's settled. We get a new gate opened and then put this new plan into action," Taichi said decidedly.

"Oh..." Wormmon said, his antenna drooping a bit. He made a tiny sound and pushed his head up into his boy's hand before curling up next to him.

"Right," the kids and Digimon agreed, all nodding their heads.

"So... Who's going to ask Ken about opening a gate?" Sora asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I dunno if we should, dagya," Armadillomon said quietly. "He hadn't even gotten out of bed yet, dagya."

"We can't waste time!" TK insisted. "For Izzy to go back to Colorado would take at least twenty-eight hours. We don't have that kind of time. We have to get Ken to do it!"

"What if he can't?" Mimi asked with a frown. "What if he just gets more upset when he can't do it? We could really hurt him just by asking."

TK stood up. "Well we won't know until we ask. So unless anyone else wants to ask him, I will." The younger blond didn't wait for anyone to speak up before storming into the bedroom. "Ken, we need your help."

Joe was obviously startled, but he still managed to put his hands up. "N-Now wait a minute. Ken really isn't in a condition to do anything right now."

"That's too bad," TK replied brazenly. He approached the bed, slamming his hands on the mattress and leaning over. "You have to open a new gate. Davis is wise to the original one inside the haven. You have to do this or we're going to lose." Ken was frightened by the other boy's headstrong tactic. He'd taken to holding Wormmon close to him and shaking slightly.

"TK..." Wormmon hissed slightly, his antenna slicking back. "Ken's not even talking right now. Besides, he can't just open gates anywhere he pleases without the machinery he had inside the citadel. He's skilled with technology, not a miracle worker."

"Look, I'm not trying to be the bad guy here," TK said, trying to remain calm and non-threatening. "But if Ken is serious about saving Davis, we need him to do this."

"TK..." Joe put his hand on the teen's shoulder. "Ken is under far too much stress to accomplish something like this."

TK pulled free of Joe's hold. "Why am I the only one who has faith in Ken? You all are treating him like he's weak and incapable of anything. I wouldn't ask him to do this if I didn't think he could!" Ken seemed to be struck by those words. He stared at TK with something of a mix between adoration and appreciation. TK really believed in him that much? If so, then there was no reason he couldn't try. Ken slipped out of bed and moved to the computer on the desk in the corner, bringing his Digivice with him. Wormmon looked surprised, quickly scrambling after his partner. It wasn't true that Wormmon didn't believe in his boy, but Ken had spent so much time not believing in himself. It was difficult to have faith in someone who wouldn't allow others to. Ken set to work opening a fresh browser. He couldn't create a new gate using his own body signature this time. He'd have to find a new key to use for opening the new gate. That was the hardest part. After sitting perfectly still for a moment or two, his fingers suddenly began flying across the keys. Infinite strings of code appeared on the screen as Ken programmed a new portal. TK nodded to himself as he watched this. Satisfied with this, he went back out into the living room. "Ken's working on it now."

"He is?" came surprised responses.

"Well... that's... great!" Biyomon said, seeming apprehensive at first but finally clapping her wings together excitedly. "He's out of bed, then?"

"For now at least," TK answered with a shrug. "He may go back to bed once he's done. Joe still seems adamant about Ken not doing much. I mean... It's true he's not talking right now, either."

"Not talking, huh..." Yolei said, frowning gently. "Poor guy."

"I wish there was something we could do to make him feel better," Gomamon said, his tiny tail twitching. "He spent the entire day sleeping."

"I think getting Davis back is the only thing that's going to make him feel better," said TK. After several hours of careful and precise coding, Ken was ready to assign a key. Everyone else in the apartment was asleep. Even Joe was snoring softly from the chair where he was now slumped over. The only light was from the computer screen setting Ken's face aglow. The boy looked at his Digimon who had also fallen asleep. While he felt guilty for waking Wormmon, it needed to be done, so Ken scratched behind one of his antenna gently.

Wormmon made a tiny sound in his sleep before cracking one eye open. When he saw Ken looking back at him, he uncurled himself, stretching out before moving closer to the boy. "What is it, Ken?" he asked sleepily. Ken smiled and tapped the computer screen. Wormmon turned his head to look, his antenna perking up a bit as he looked at the screen. "Have you almost figured it out, Ken?"

Ken nodded. "Ah..." He gestured his hand like he was turning a key in a lock and pointed at the screen again.

"Oh... well... what can we use?" Wormmon asked, tilting his head to the side. Ken tapped Wormmon on the forehead. "Me?" Wormmon seemed confused. Ken smiled and nodded. He lifted his Digivice and held it front of Wormmon. The boy's face had an expression like he was asking permission. Wormmon looked at the Digivice, and then back to his boy, nodding his head silently. With a push of a button, the Digivice began scanning Wormmon and recording his digital code. Once that was complete, Ken began copying the data into the code he'd mapped out in the browser. When it was all done, he pressed the enter key and there was a bright flash of light. When the nearly blinding glow faded, there was a small window on the computer screen, inside which was a red rectangle that said 'Closed'. It was a very basic, almost primitive design, but Ken knew it would do the trick. Another smile was show to Wormmon as Ken tapped the little red button, wanting Wormmon to do the same. Wormmon watched in fascination, doing as his boy silently told him and wiggling forward to reach up and tap his claw on the red button. Instantly the button turned green and now read 'Open'. There was some brief beeping before the window expanded to fit the screen. Through the window they could see the Digital World and the Digital Messiah's Haven in the very near distance. Ken beamed proudly. He picked up his Digivice, pointed to it, and then pointed at the screen indicating that this was how one could pass through. "That's fantastic, Ken!" Wormmon exclaimed, quickly realizing how loud he was being and quieting down. "I can't believe you got that open so quickly."

"Davis?" the boy asked, touching his finger to the screen.

Wormmon looked confusedly between the boy and the screen. "He's... there, yes."

Ken looked at the screen for a short time and then back at Wormmon with a frown. "Cupimon..."

"Yeah…" Wormmon said quietly. "He's there too." He watched as his boy turned to look at the screen with a look of resolve painted across his face. Wormmon knew that even if Ken had to rest for now, he wasn't going to let this battle completely pass him by.


	8. Disguised In Blessings

Ken went back to sleep after creating the gate. He made sure to have Wormmon close it before taking the Digimon back to bed with him. It was Taichi who crept in the next morning to see if any progress had been made. He jiggled the mouse to bring the screen up and he was greeted with the window containing the red Closed button. He couldn't believe what he was seeing at first, but then he ran out into the living room where everyone was eating breakfast. "Ken did it!"

Agumon spit out his eggs in surprise. "He did!" he gasped, getting eggs in Biyomon's feathers, which made her ruffle up and smack him across the back of the head before turning to Taichi.

"That's great!" she twittered happily, smiling even as she picked eggs out of her feathers and flicked them back at Agumon.

"Perfect, actually," Izzy said, nodding with his own grin. "I can guarentee that the gate in the alley has been destroyed by now, so this is perfect."

Taichi nodded. "All we have to do know is ask him how it works and-"

"No you're not," Joe said, cutting Taichi off. He stood in the doorway to the bedroom now, arms up like a gate. "Ken was obviously up all night making that thing. He needs his rest if he's going to get any better, Taichi. You know that."

"Well, yeah, but we need to get in there as soon as possible, Joe. _You_ know_ that_."

"Why don't we ask Wormmon?" Yamato said simply from where he stood near the counter, still in his apron as he cleaned up the pots and pans from preparing breakfast. "I'll bet you he knows how it works."

Taichi nodded again and looked at Joe. "Yamato is right. Get Wormmon for us."

"Alright." Jow disappeared into the room and soon returned with a sleeping looking Wormmon in his hands.

"Wormmon, we need your help," Taichi said, bending over slightly to get eye level with him.

"Mmh," Wormmon murmured, rubbing his eyes with his tiny claws. "Yes? How can I help?" he asked, stifling a yawn.

"Did you see Ken make that gate last night?" he asked.

"Yes, I did," Wormmon said, nodding his head. "He asked me to be the key," he explained, touching his chest lightly.

Taichi grinned. "Great! So you can get us through!"

"Yes, I could..." Wormmon said, trailing off and his eyes went towards the table. "Um... could I have breakfast first?" he asked, as his tiny little worm belly gave a growl at the sight and smell of the food.

"Hm? Oh, of course!" Taichi chuckled, took Wormmon from Joe, and then set him on the table. He prepared a plate of eggs and toast cut into smaller pieces for Wormmon to eat easily. Taichi also gave him a little bowl of orange juice. "Anything else?"

"This is great, thank you," Wormmon said, bowing his head before he quickly picked up a piece of toast and began to nibble on it with his pincer-mouth.

"Man, all this time we would see you in the Digital World, and I never knew you were Ken's partner, dagya," Armadillomon commented.

"You wouldn't think it by looking at us back then, would you," Wormmon sighed as he finished the piece of toast and picked up another.

"Of course it makes sense now that I think about it," said Gabumon. "You were the only Digimon to follow the Kaiser's orders without a dark ring or dark spiral on you."

Wormmon nodded his head. "It's true. I pledged to be loyal to Ken no matter what happened... even if it meant following the Kaiser."

"That's very noble of you," Yolei said quietly, leaning forward to listen to the little Digimon.

"Thank you," Wormmon said almost embarrassedly.

"Did you watch him go through that change?" Sora asked softly, also interested in hearing the small insect speak.

Wormmon nodded his head slowly as he ate another peice of toast. "I did... at least at first. I took care of him the first few nights of it, because he got really sick. But once he got better, he didn't want me around anymore, and left me in the Digital World. He was only... he must have been about your age when you first came to the Digital World back then," he said, looking at Cody. "He was young, y'know? It was hard to watch... but then he went back to the real world without me, and I didn't see him again until he came back to the Digital World... ready to become the Kaiser."

Sora looked at Wormmon with sad eyes. "That must have been painful for you."

"I could hardly fathom surviving such a tragic ordeal," Hawkmon added, touching his wing to his chest. "You're a strong fellow, for sure."

"I think it must have been worse for his parents," Wormmon said quietly as he picked up the bowl of orange juice between his claws. "They barely noticed he was gone, because that was back when time in the Digital World moved faster than the real world... But then he suddenly emerged from his room hateful and angry one day. They must have been confused and heartbroken... at least I didn't have to watch him totally transform."

"He told us about his brother," Sora said. "Do you know anything about him? All Ken told us was that Osamu died in a car accident."

"Ken loved his brother," Wormmon said quietly. "His brother was incredibly smart and athletic. He was every parent's dream child, and Ken both looked up to him and was frustrated by how great he was. Ken was destroyed by his death at first, but... the dark spore made him happy to have the chance to outshine his brother." The little Digimon shivered at the thought.

"It must be hard when you're parents like one kid over the other," TK said and glanced at his brother. "I don't know what that's like, and I'm glad, but... It must have been hard. No wonder Ken keeps himself apart from everyone else. I bed he feels terrible for all the things he did, even when he wasn't the Kaiser yet."

Yamato caught his brother's eye and offered a weak smile and nod. Wormmon nodded his head meekly as well. "He is so guilty for everything he did, even though he really didn't want to do any of the things he did as the Kaiser. Millenniummon made him do so many things that he regrets so deeply. That's why he doesn't think he deserves anyone's kindness."

"Kind of ironic, isn't it? From what I hear, Ken's crest is kindness, right?"

"That's true," Wormmon said. "It's still in the haven, I think, but yes. His crest is Kindness." A smile he could not create on his face shined in Wormmon's eyes. "You should have known him when he was little, when I first met him... the crest of Kindness was absolutely perfect for him."

Sora smiled. "It seems to fit him more and more each day we know him. Ken has a big heart. It's too bad he's too timid to share his feelings more."

"I'm sure he'll get better," Wormmon said, his atenna perking up. "He's been making progress since we left the Digital World thanks to all of you... I know that he'll open up eventually. He has to."

"I bet he's really different with Davis," Taichi said. "I actually can't wait to see Ken with him."

TK nodded. "All the more reason to get Davis back as soon as possible."

"He's a lot more open," Wormmon said, nodding a bit. "And a lot happier, too. Even as the Kaiser, who was coldhearted and vicious... when Davis left, he was heartbroken. That's how much the real Ken, buried inside, loved him. Enough to even affect the Kaiser personality."

Taichi whistled. "Wow, that's the kind of love you only see in the movies. No wonder Ken is so torn up." Unconsciously, Taichi's hand slipped in with Yamato's. "I could probably learn something from him."

Yamato squeezed Taichi's hand slightly. "I'm sure we all could learn a lot from the both of them," he said quietly.

"Then let's get going!" TK exclaimed, now on his feet. "Wormmon, you ready to show us that gate?"

"One moment," Wormmon said, quickly eating down the eggs. He then hopped off the table, motioning for the group to follow him. They filed into the bedroom very quietly, as Ken was still sleeping, and Wormmon touched the button to open the gate.

"Great," Taichi whispered with a grin. "I see the Haven there. Hopefully he doesn't see us coming. Now how do we get through?"

"Your Digivices should work," Wormmon whispered back. "One at a time," he said, gesturing to the gate and moving aside a bit. "Make sure your Digimon is standing next to you so you go together." Taichi nodded and got Agumon up alongside him. He held his Digivice up to the computer which began to beep. There was a flash of light and the two of them disappeared into the Digital World together.

Wormmon lead the other kids in, one at a time, and kids and Digimon soon began to appear in pairs in the Digital World. Upon arrival, each and every one of them began to look around, shocked at what they saw. The clouds which engulfed the ground, the selective batch of Digimon with glowing blue eyes running about, and the gigantic white and gold palace-like Haven did not project the image of the Digital World they all knew. "I'd like it if it wasn't the byproduct of evil and insanity," Taichi said in looking around.

TK frowned. "I dunno... I'd rather not have to see anything like this until after I die. It almost gives me the creeps."

Gabumon nodded. "I agree with TK. This setting is quite unnatural."

"Where's all the food, dagya?" Armadillomon asked, his ears folding downwards. "I don't see anything..."

"I smell something," Agumon said, his nostrils flaring. He looked up as a Patamon with glowing blue eyes flew past, holding an apple core. From atop TK's head, Patamon shivered, and jumped down into his partner's arms instead.

"Their eyes are just as weird as when they glowed red," he squeaked.

TK nodded. "Yeah, not very angelic if you ask me."

"Well the sooner we get Cupimon out of Davis, the sooner everything gets back to normal. So let's move in," Taichi said, waving his arm for the others to follow as he started ahead.

"Are we gonna blast that gate open, Taichi?" Agumon asked excitedly as they walked through the clouds, pointing with one claw ahead at the huge golden gate that they were approaching. But the closer they got, the more the Digimon around them seemed to notice their approach. Suddenly, there were Digimon on all sides, walking alongside the group.

"What are they doing?" Kari asked quietly, watching as Reppamon, Gatomon, Tapirmon, Patamon, Liollmon, Unimon, Liamon, Kudamon, and a whole bunch of other Digimon sped up slightly in order to overtake the group, and started to assemble in front of the gates, facing the Digidestined as they approached.

"Keeping us out," Gatomon replied. "Apparently they have a loyalty to their Messiah we didn't anticipate. Luckily it doesn't appear they are going to strike." Her tail swayed behind her thoughtfully. "Until we actually start to pose a threat, I think they may just block us. Ward us off."

"So what should we do?" Yolei asked, frowning at the mass of assembled Digimon.

"Leave!" came a voice. From the swath stepped forward what looked like a Digitamamon, an egg-like Digimon with two green feet, but this one had blue eyes, a halo, small white, feathery wings sticking out of cracks in the shell, and a Holy Ring clamped around its ankle. "In the name of the Messiah, leave now!"

"Leave!" the other Digimon chanted after HolyDigitamamon.

Gatomon stepped forward to address the mass. "We seek council with the Digimon Messiah," she said, offering out her paw.

The Gatomon in the crowd had fallen quiet, their tails waving from side to side as they sized up the similar Digimon. A Mikemon, who looked like a tortishell version of Gatomon, stepped out of the crowd to stand next to HolyDigitamamon, simply to ask, "What do you seek from him?"

"We wish to appeal to the Messiah," she replied. Gatomon was always one to be clever on the spot. "We have a human who needs his blessing. The Digimon Messiah worked such obvious miracles here in the Digital World. We are hoping he can perform such a miracle for our friend."

The Mikemon and HolyDigitamamon turned together to quietly discuss what they'd been told. After a few moments, the Mikemon moved away from the crowd to approach the group. "Who is it that seeks our Messiah's guidance?" he asked, obviously skeptical.

"The human in need is not here with us," she said regretfully. "He is too weak to make the trip himself. If the Messiah can help us, our desire was to bring him back on a second pilgrimmage. Please, we only seek a blessing. You have my word as a Holy Digimon."

Mikemon stared hard into Gatomon's eyes, his own glowing blue ones difficult to read. He then turned to the group and waved his gloved paws, and the blockade of Digimon instantly parted, revealing a now opened gate. "You will be accompanied," he said, as two lines of Tapirmon emerged from the crowd and lined up along the pathway up to the haven. "And they will alert us if you attempt anything other than speaking with our Messiah."

Gatomon bowed humbly. "You have our deepest and eternal gratitude." With a path now open to them, Gatomon led the Chosen Children and the other Digimon through the gate. Of course, the two lines or Tapirmon were guarding them in the front and back.

They walked through the halls, the Tapirmon guiding them, and yet hindering them from moving at anything other than a constant march of a pace. One of them actually headbutted the back of Armadillomon's shell when he wasn't moving fast enough, making the Digimon scramble ahead to catch up with his partner, grumbling. They soon came upon the throne room, and the door creaked open. The throne's back was facing them, so all that could be seen were the edges of wings sticking out from the chair, and all that could be heard was the steady clatter of keys. The first line of Tapirmon walked into the room, and proceeded to bow their heads. "Messiah," they said in unison.

"I don't like having to break my promise in front of them," Gatomon whispered to Kari. Her piercing blue eyes watched the throne, waiting for it to turn. She knew Davis wouldn't react well to them being here and a fight would surely break out.

But the throne didn't turn right away. The Tapirmon kept their heads down as the feathers of white wings rustled slightly. "What do you think?" came Davis' voice from the throne, the sound of fingers quickly typing on keys continuing.

"Of what, Messiah?" Gatomon asked, hoping maybe she could be mistaken for a collared drone.

"Of the Digital World," he responded. "What do you think of the Digital World?"

"I think... the changes aren't completely necessary, Messiah."

"How so?" Davis asked, as the Tapirmon's ears all went straight up and they turned their glowing eyes on Gatomon.

"Do my Holy brothers and sisters really need to have control rings on? Are we not pure enough to be granted freedom based on our own merit?"

"No," Davis answered. "You are not. No creature is pure enough for that."

"Not even the Digimon Messiah?"

At that, the feathers rustled again. "What are you here for?"

Gatomon stepped closer. "A blessing."

"You question my purity and then ask for a blessing from me?" Davis questioned.

She bowed her head. "Forgive me, Messiah. When you said no creature was pure enough, I was hoping you did not mean yourself. That is why I asked. Surely a creature with such power as yours in beyond the need for any rings."

"Hmph," Davis just made an unimpressed noise. The Tapirmon were still staring warily at Gatomon. "So, tell me again," Davis continued, as a huge screen before him suddenly lit up with a camera feet of the front of the Haven, where all of the Digimon were still assembled in front of the gate. "What do you think of the Digital World now?"

"He saw us!" Biyomon gasped in a hissed whisper.

Gatomon's ears folded back. She should have known he was too smart for that. In a bright flash she had evolved to Nefertimon. If the Tapirmon were going to alert the other Digimon, then she needed to silence them. "Cat's Eye Beam!" She created the beams of energy from her headdress and launched it at the small Tapirmon. They all struggled at first, caught in its paralysis, but then the Gold Rings fell off, freeing them. "Gabumon, Tentomon, now!" she cried.

Davis launched himself up into an impressive flip, landing gracefully on the back of his throne, now facing the group with anger in his eyes. "Grand Cross!" he shouted, launching the spheres at the group, causing huge explosions that engulfed the Tapirmon that were in the room. The ones that had followed the group at the back, still outside the throne room, cried out with alarm and started to run back towards the entrance of the Haven, to alert the other Digimon.

Nefertimon flew after the remaining Tapirmon. She was sad to see the others turned into eggs so soon after being freed, but it couldn't be helped. "Cat's Eye Beam!" she called and launched the beams at the fleeing Tapirmon. Gaubmon and Tentomon had since evolved into their strongest forms along with everyone else. As per the plan, they would attack in teams. MetalGarurumon and MegaKabuterimon had to get in close. Lilymon was the first to attack with her Flower Cannon accompanied by Halsemon's Mach Impulse.

Davis waved his hands and dispelled the attacks with his purple forcefield. Garudamon and Digmon attacked next, and once again, Davis made the attacks fizzle out. His angry eyes turned to Garudamon and Lilymon in particular, however. "Grand Cross!" he yelled, shooting the energy concentratedly at the two of them.

Halsemon was ready this time, though. "Tempest Wing!" he declared and spun at an amazing speed. The resulting twister caught the orbs of energy and sent them flying up at the ceiling where they exploded. MetalGarurumon was around on the blind side of the throne. He could see Davis shaking with rage and that meant he wasn't thinking clearly. Taking advantage of the moment, the mechanical wolf opened his maw and fired his Cocytus Breath at the wing on Davis' left hip. The tiny feathery appendage burst into icy hot flames and then burned away completely.

Davis yelped in pain, looking down at the burning spot where his wing had been upon his hip. He spun around, eyes narrowing as he came to look at MetalGarurumon. "Grand Cross!" He attacked again, and this time, he made contact, the impact of the attack sending a devolved Gabumon spiraling back into the metal wall.

Having freed the Tapirmon, Nefertimon came soaring back into the room. "Pegasusmon, let's go!" she called, all ready preparing for their shared attack. Pegasusmon nodded, lifting himself up to hover beside her. Meanwhile, WarGreymon, Gargomon, and Turuiemon had rushed forward to take on Davis, but his powerful attacks blasted them back into the walls as well, Agumon nearly missing the children's heads before he hit the metal doorframe and fell down onto the ground behind the kids assembled near the door. "Sanctuary Bind!" the two almost sang out as the golden line strung out between them. They swooped in fast. Not really expecting the attack to hold Davis, they hoped it would open a window of opportunity for someone to strike. They bound Davis' arms at his sides to keep a barrier from being formed.

Lilymon came in next, arms already seamed together and petals opening on her, "Flower Cannon!" which struck Davis square in the chest. Davis cried out in pain when the attack hit him square-on. He writhed against the golden bind, but was unable to do anything with his arms. It was when his wings spread that he managed to snap it, just like the first time they had tried the attack on him. He grit his teeth and instead of attacking with a skill, Davis just flew up after Lilymon, anger burning in his eyes, and grabbed her by her vine-like hair, yanking her back before she could fly away and landing a well-aimed smack across her cheek.

Lilymon cried out when she was struck so ruthlessly across the face. At first she looked like she was about to cry, but then she grit her teeth and swung her leg up right between Davis' legs. "That'll teach you to hit a lady!" Davis gasped and cried out again, and it sounded like that attack hurt him more than the Flower Cannon to the chest. His knees tilted together and his wings stopped flapping, making him take a dive straight down onto the metal floor below. "Go! Go!" she shouted to the other Digimon who were standing and staring in slight shock.

It was MegaKabuterimon who reached Davis first. He was so much larger than the teen that it didn't seem fair, but it had to be done. He planted his large feet on either side of the human's body, keeping those wings down. "Sorry, Davis, but this is for your own good." There was a pop and a spark as MegaKabuterimon charged up. He felt Davis start to struggle and knew that was his cue. "Horn Blaster!" which struck the wing on Davis' right hip. The electric burn seared all the feathers, making them fall away at the base.

"Gnaaah!" Davis roared, the bones of the wing writhing for a split second before they too crumbled. He flipped over onto his back, gritting his teeth against the pain. "Grand Cross!" he shouted, shooting his powerful attack straight into MegaKabuterimon's face. The bug was hit straight-on with the attack, devolving back to Tentomon and being blasted into the air. As he fell back down, Davis put his feet up, and kicked Tentomon like a soccerball, first straight up, and then he got up off his back and did a spinning kick that sent Tentomon right into a wall.

Taichi looked around at the group. Only three Digimon were down. Two wings had been the goal and they reached it, but it seemed like maybe they had a chance at another. Should they take the chance or retreat while they were ahead? Only a few short seconds of thinking produced an answer. The sooner those wings came off, the sooner Davis would be back to normal. "Keep going everyone!" the young man commanded. "Let's bring him home!"

"Flower Cannon!" Lilymon shouted and fired the raging ball of energy.

Halsemon attacked a split second later in case Lilymon's attack was met with, or broke, a barrier. "Red Sun!"

Davis, however, dodged out of the way of both attacks. His eyes were locked on Lilymon. She'd been causing him the most trouble out of all of the Digimon, and he quickly took off after her. When Halsemon flew up behind him to try and attack from behind, he spun around mid-air. "Grand Cross!" he shouted, shooting the attack straight at Halsemon, gunning him down before spinning around and soaring after Lilymon again, making grabs at her ankles, trying to get another shot at her.

Lilymon was going to have none of that, though. She turned to face Davis, flying backwards away from him. "Haven't you learned yet not to mess with me, big boy?" she said in and almost sing-song voice. Lilymon dropped beneath Davis and held out her hands. "Flower Wreath!" At once there were vines growing out from under her gloves. The nature fairy started to flying in ellipses around Davis, wrapping and tangling him in the flowered vines.

This time, Davis used his wings straight off the bat, and snapped the vines effortlessly. "C'mere," he growled, shooting up after Lilymon and grabbing the hem of her petal-like skirt. He hesitated for a second, a memory briefly scurrying through his mind, but he shook his head and decked her across the back of the head, before grabbing her hair and swinging her around in a circle, letting go so she was flung across the room. Lilymon screamed as she went sailing through the air. The vicious blow to her head left the poor thing disoriented and unable to get her wings going. She collided with the white metal wall, a horrible clang sounding as she did so, and left a large dent where she hit. Lilymon plummeted to the floor. Her body even bounced back up when she landed and had devolved back into Palmon before she landed for the second time.

"Palmon!" Mimi cried, rushing out to help her Digimon. Izzy had tried to keep her back, but she broke away from him and collected the plant-like Digimon up in her arms.

"Hmph," Davis snorted, turning around and starting to charge another blast, aiming at Mimi and Palmon. "I want this one eliminated," he growled to himself.

"Rosetta Stone!" Nefertimon fired the large stone stabs at Davis. She aimed right where his attack was charging, not caring if it meant breaking the boy's hands. She could not allow Mimi and Palmon to be killed. Halsemon also pitched in with his Tempest Wing. He created a tornado which he used as cover, snatching Mimi and Palmon up to put them back with the others.

"Gold Rush!" Digmon shouted, shooting drills at Davis. The boy made a barrier with his hands, quickly bouncing the drills off of them and making them shoot through the stone slabs Nefertimon had shot at him.

"Gargo Pellets!" Gargomon attacked, firing his gun-like arms at Davis, who started to charge an attack in his hands that absorbed the bullets. He was distracted long enough, however, for Turuiemon to leap down off of Pegasusmon's back.

"Gauntlet Claw!" he slashed Davis across the back. "Ninja Fist!" He attacked again, hitting his opponent across the head before he leapt back down, spinning and landing on his feet on the floor below. Davis could feel the sting and burn of where his last two wings had been lost, and could feel that he was getting overwhelmed.

"Wing Blade!" Garudamon roared. Davis gasped as the firey bird soared straight for him, and he put up his hands and directed the attack towards the wall, again opening up a Digital Gate.

Nefertimon was the first to feel the pull of the newly opened gate, being closest to it. She flapped her wings as hard as she could, but she wasn't strong enough against the fierce pull of the portal. She cried out for Kari as she was sucked through. Halsemon had just enough time to glide down and land beside Yolei. "Get under my wings!" he commanded her while digging his claws into the ground.

"Garudamon!" Sora was heard calling out for her Digimon. The girl was slowly being lifted off the ground by the pull of the gate. Taichi was saved by hanging onto Agumon's ankles who was using his powerful forearms to grip the throne. Willis was trying desperately to get both twins back with him. If they were lucky, Gargomon would be heavy enough to keep them grounded.

Davis started to pick the kids off one by one by shooting at their Digimon's feet. Yamato and Gabumon were tossed through the portal first, and Izzy and Tentomon next. "That's for my wings," he snorted, one hand idly touching the still stinging spot on one of his hips. He then turned to Mimi, who was holding onto Palmon's waist, who was using her Poison Ivy to keep them grounded. Davis flew rather idly down and started to slam his heels down upon each of the vines, trying to get Palmonto let go.

Palmon screamed. Her vines were full of sensitive nerves she used for eating and drinking from the earth, and so stomping on them like Davis was, was like stabbing her with a knife. Halsemon felt his feet begin to slide across the floor and knew he wasn't going to last much longer. "Yolei, get on my back and hold on around my neck!" he told her. At least they would go through together. Halsemon's last effort before being pulled into the gate was using his Red Sun attack to paralyze Davis' feet. Yolei quickly scrambled onto Halsemon's back, holding on as best as she could and watching as Davis' foot was suddenly stopped before it could slam down again on Palmon's vines. The boy started to curse loudly when he realized what had happened, but he could barely be heard over what sounded like a loud wind starting to blow through the chamber, dragging the kids and Digimon towards the gate. Yolei and TK were sucked into the gate on the backs of their winged Digimon. Having held on through Davis' abuse, Palmon finally let go, swept with Mimi still around her waist. Agumon's arms soon gave out, and he and Taichi went hurdling through the air. Despite her size, Garudamon was swept up in the maelstrom with Sora cupped safely in her hands, at least. Not even Digmon and Cody were safe in the tunnel he'd drilled into the floor. Willis was the last one through, now holding his devolved Terriermon and Lopmon in his arms. He knew they were done for now. It was time to go home.


	9. Destructive Healing

Palmon sniffled gently as bandages were wrapped around her vines. The battle had been tough, but overall, successful. They'd infiltrated the haven without having to fight the Messiah's followers and destroyed two more wings. Though all of the kids knew this meant security would probably be even tighter next time they tried to get in, they still took the time to revel in their victory as any damages were bandaged up or treated. Mimi was cooking while Joe and Gomamon wrapped bandages around Palmon's vines, which were drooped loosely over the back of the couch, where she lay tiredly on her back. "You really got him mad, dagya!" Armadillomon was saying to her to distract her from the doctoring that was going on. Yamato and Izzy were both paying their Digimon special attention for the good work they did destroying wings that day while the rest of the kids and Digimon strategized for the next day.

"Well it's not like he didn't deserve a good beating," Palmon replied. "We have to attack him to stop him, right? So that's what I did."

Joe nodded, but didn't look up from his careful work. "Palmon won't be able to fight with her vines like this. Not for a few days, maybe a week at the most. She's fought really well and I think she deserves a break. It would be my suggested that Mimi and Palmon stay with Ken next time we go in. Gomamon and I will accompany the group in their place."

"And you did a good job of it too, dagya!" Armadillomon responded, nodding his head.

"That sounds like a good idea, Joe," Gomamon said, nodding his head as well. He was alright with it as long as someone stayed behind with Ken.

"That's fine with me!" Mimi called from the kitchen, over the sound of sizzling.

Taichi nodded as well. "That might might actually work in our favor," he said. "Davis is expecting Lilymon to come back, but having Zudomon with us instead might throw him off."

"It certainly is a big switch," Biyomon agreed.

"But what we need to worry about now is how we're going to get back in," Yamato said from where he was scratching praisingly behind Gabumon's ears. "Security is going to get seriously tight. Gatomon did a good job this time, but those Digimon won't fall for the same trick twice."

Taichi nodded at that as well. "I think we're going to have to split up into two teams. One will fight the little army Davis seems to have built up, and the rest of us will go in for Davis. We'll use it in our favor. Switch the teams up each time so he doesn't know what to expect."

Izzy nodded too, agreeing, "That seems like our best bet. Unfortunately, the battle will probably be so massive that whoever gets inside will just be based on luck. Whoever can slip through the crowd will have to go in after Davis... and like Taichi said, that'll probably change depending on circumstance. We can only plan so far."

"Palmon did a really great job today. She was really brave for standing up to Davis the way she did," said Taichi as looked around at all the others. "But we need to keep casualties to a minimum. Don't provoke Davis uncessecarily. Our job is to go in, take off a wing, and get out. Does everyone understand?"

Taichi was met with nods and 'Understood's. "I don't want to provoke him anyway," Biyomon said, looking at Palmon as her curl twitched with concern. "That battle looked like it was really intense!"

"And that's exactly what we need to avoid," Yamato said. "If too many of us get hurt and have to stay behind, we'll need to take a break from attacking. And if it turns out Davis can restore his wings or something when we give him time, we'll lose all of our progress."

Sora sighed at that thought. "I couldn't stand if our efforts were wasted like that. I know giving up isn't an option, but I'd be really tempted if that happened."

"Hopefully the battles will get easier," said Willis. "Maybe he'll get weaker as he loses his wings, you know?"

"We can only hope so," Terriermon said. "It'd be better if hurting him made him weaker, but..."

"Remember when I was Cherubimon?" Lopmon offered quietly. "Hurting me from the outside physically only made me stronger."

Willis picked his little brown and pink Digimon up into his lap. "You were infected with a virus, Kokomon. Virus are different from being possessed by an actual Digimon. Davis just has powers now. He hasn't been altered on the inside like you were, but even so..." He scratched up under one of those big floppy ears. "We saved you, right?"

"Mhm," Lopmon said, nodding his head slightly. "But... being infected by a Virus Digimon and being infected by an actual virus... well, it may work differently at first, but eventually, it's all the same," he said quietly.

"Then we stop Davis before it gets to that point," Willis said decidedly.

Tentomon was flying in circles over everyone's heads. He'd started to feel closed in with so many humans and Digimon in one small place, and his anticipation was obvious by how loud his wings were buzzing. "When can we expect to go back in tomorrow?" he asked.

Taichi thought about this. "As much as I'd like to go in first thing in the morning, we could all use a good rest. Breakfast will be at nine o'clock and we'll go in at ten."

Izzy nodded, and then looked up at his Digimon. "Do you want to go stretch a bit outside before dinner, Tentomon?" he offered, standing up and motioning towards the door with one hand.

"You know I'd hate to go alone," Tentomon said. "What if someone sees me?"

"I'll come with you. We could go into that park," Izzy said. "We all end up there when we get kicked out of the Digital World and no one sees us."

Tentomon buzzed excitedly. "Let's go then!"

"Anyone else want to come?" Izzy asked as he went towards the door, throwing it open.

"I'll go with you," Willis chimed and got up from the couch. "Gummimon? Kokomon?"

"Coming!" the twins chirped in unison, getting onto their partner's shoulders.

"Can we go, Sora?" Biyomon asked. "I was really cramped in that citadel as Garudamon."

The girl smiled. "Of course, Biyomon." Sora stood up now and followed the others out the door with her pink bird fluttering behind her.

"Yamato," Gabumon said to his boy, "would you mind scratching my back under my pelt?"

"Oh, sure, Gabumon," Yamato said, looking a little surprised. He didn't think he'd ever touhed Gabumon's skin under his pelt. He slipped his hand under the side and let his palm lay flat for a moment, feeling the yellow scales that always perplexed him, before starting to scratch. "You really did a great job today, Gabumon."

Suddenly, Gabumon's left foot began to thump against the floor and he arched into his boy's hand. "For a back scratch, I'll face Davis one on one," he replied.

Yamato laughed gently, smiling at his Digimon's reaction, scratching up and down a curved spine. "If you can beat him by yourself, Gabumon, you deserve way more than a back scratch," he laughed.

"Nnm... Higher, Yamato..." Gabumon sighed, his foot thumping a bit faster the closer those fingers got to the good spot. Yamato moved his hand up a bit until his Digimon seemed happy, smiling just from seeing the Digimon content. Meanwhile, Armadillomon looked on, forlornly tapping the shell that covered his own back with a claw. Cody watched his Digimon do this and frowned a bit. He pulled Armadillomon into his lap and began to rub his thumbs just up under the lip of the shell. As usual the boy didn't say anything, but did what he could. Armadillomon looked surprised, and unfortunately it probably wasn't the same as having his back scratched, but he smiled thankfully and settled into his partner's lap, folding his paws underneath him and wrapping his tail around his shell. Cody wasn't usually very physical, so Armadillomon appreciated the attention, and even didn't jump up when the food was brought into the living room, preferring to stay right where he was and wait for the food to come to him rather than hound Mimi for his share like usual. Everyone was given their fair share, even the kids and Digimon who came back late from the park. With a new plan under their hats and a warm meal in their bellies, pretty much everyone went to sleep soon after. Tomorrow was another big day for them.

Like they planned, Mimi stayed behind to watch over Ken and Palmon with the help of Wormmon while the rest of the group headed back to the Digital World. Like last time, they arrived just outside the Haven. But unlike last time, the horde of Digimon was already assembled to meet them, and the growls that began to rise from the crowd as soon as the chosen children arrived showed that they were none too happy about being tricked. "Gatomon!" came the angry screech of Mikemon, who broke away from the crowd with his tortieshell fur fluffed up in anger. "You betrayed your word!"

"We asked for a blessing!" Gatomon argued with her paws up in defense. It wasn't a total lie. They had asked. "We asked for a blessing and things got out of hand! Fighting was not our intention." But that was a lie.

"I had said that you would hear from me if you attempted anything other than talking!" Mikemon yowled, thumping a brown-gloved paw on his chest. "And I intend to do follow up on my word, unlike you!"

"What exactly do you expect from us?" Gatomon asked.

"If the Messiah becomes angry due to your error, you are to accept his punishment!" Mikemon said, standing straight up.

"Hail!" the crowd of Digimon behind him echoed.

Gatomon's ears went back against her head. This was going to be a lot harder now. "We came to seek a blessing again. Our friend is still sick. We want to get him help. We are willing to leave a few of our companions with you while the rest of us go inside. What reason would we have to attack with our friends in your possession?"

"I have no time for your mind games, Gatomon!" Mikemon hissed, his tail waving back and forth angrily.

"You will never speak with our Messiah again!" HolyDigitamamon added as he too stepped forward.

"Never again!" the crowd echoed.

"Not unless you can get through us," Mikemon said lowly.

Gatomon turned back to the rest of the group. "All right, this isn't working. Luckily they can't evolve, but we can. I think WarGreymon, Zudomon, Pegasusmon, and Digmon should at least try to get through while the rest of us stick it out here."

"Alright," Agumon said, self-appointing himself and Taichi as the leaders of the group that was to attempt to get in.

"Gatomon!" Mikemon yelled, catching their attention again. "Prepare yourself!" He got down on all fours and started to sprint towards her, his black claws at the ready, prepared to attack. Gatomon Digivolved into Nefertimon, and Mikemon's eyes went wide. "Oh shit!" he yowled, putting the breaks on his attack and kicking up clouds as he tried to spin around and retreat.

Nefertimon was able to pounce forward in one motion, and when she landed, her paw caught Mikemon's tail. "I'll teach you to pick on someone holier than thou," she said, voice echoing from behind her silver mask. All the other Digimon evolved and followed suit, ready to charge if they had to.

Mikemon still looked scared, but the holy ring pushed him to at least try to attack. "Nikukyuu Punch!" he shouted, though he just ended up uselessly swatting at the air, trying to reach Nefertimon's face but not being able to as he swung upside-down from his tail in her hand. Mikemon looked increasingly more nervous with every swing, and eventually turned around to shout, "Attack!" The crowd of Digimon roared and charged Nefertimon. MetalGarurumon leapt forward, placing himself in front of Nefertimon. He opened his jaws with a might howl, releasing his Cocytus Breath on the attacking horde. MegaKabuterimon followed with his Horn Blaster, sending the explosive ball of electricity into the middle of the crowd.

The larger, stronger Digimon in the back of the crowd quickly realized that this would not be a Rookie-on-Rookie fight and moved up the ranks to attack. The confusion of the Rookies all trying to escape through their stronger comrade's legs allowed Taichi, Joe, TK, and Cody the chance to slip by as well. No Digimon noticed, except for a Tapirmon. "Hey!" it cried.

"Marching Fishes!" Gomamon gasped from Joe's arms, hitting the Tapirmon in the face with a fish, which kept it quiet for long enough for them to reach the back of the crowd and the golden gate they were protecting.

While Taichi was wondering frantically how they would get through, it was Joe's panic that gave him the answer. The young man was still very prone to freaking out in a fight, and it was that stumpy little Tapirmon that had done him in. The golden gate was quite large, at least as tall as Greymon would be, and the bars were set sort of far apart. So when Joe came running and screaming, eyes shut tight, it was him that ran straight through the bars and kept right on going. Taichi blinked and looked down at his Digimon. "Why did we never think to try that?"

Agumon could only offer a shrug as he confusedly scratched his head. "Well what are you guys waiting for!" Patamon yelled from atop TK's head as the blond leapt through the bars. "Let's go!" Nodding quickly, Agumon and Taichi jumped through, as did Cody and Armadillomon, and the group was soon inside the haven, heading towards the control room.

"All right, you all know how this works," said Taichi before they stormed into the control room. "We attack in pairs."

"Wait, why pairs?" Joe asked.

Taichi blinked at him. "Oh! You weren't there, right. Davis has this annoying habit of putting a shield up when we attack. The Digimon need to attack in pairs so the first one can break the shield while the second lands an actual blow. Gomamon," he looked at the small white seal, "you have the best chance of hitting the next wing. I doesn't expect to see you coming in. I bet one good swing of your hammer will knock a wing clean off."

"Alright, can do," Gomamon said, saluting with a flipper.

As they swung open the door, they came upon the sight of Davis standing in the center of the room, already expecting them. Behind him, the video screen showed their comrades still fighting the huge swath of Digimon. Davis stood with his arms crossed, eyelids drawn down halfway angrily, and standing beside him was his partner, Veemon. Taichi paused in the doorway when he saw Veemon. At first he wouldn't let the others in, but he needed to have faith in them, so he let them pass. "We're back, Davis," he said. "You can't drive us away. You can't defeat us. We're going to keep coming back until this is over. But you have a choice." Taichi extended his hand. "You can give up now and come with us, or... We can fight you."

Davis stared coldly at the extended hand. He slowly began to approach the group, and he lifted his own hand. When he got close to Taichi, he lifted his hand up and smacked Taichi's hand away with as much force as he could muster. "I will never surrender," he hissed.

Taichi hissed and cradled his hand. He was sure the bones were bruising. "Davis, stop!" TK shouted. "Don't you see what you're doing? We all want you to come back home! Ken's a wreck without you!" Taichi gasped and looked at the blond. He wasn't supposed to say that.

Davis bloodshot eyes widened, and then fell into a glare on TK. "He's in the real world?" he asked in a dark, quiet tone of voice.

TK stepped back slightly. He knew immediately that he'd made a mistake, but there was no use in lying now. "Y-Yeah, he is. He's sick, Davis."

"Then the real world should prepare itself," Davis said, wings rustling. "As I will be coming to claim what is mine."

Now blue eyes went wide. "He doesn't belong to you, Davis. Not like that!"

"No one can stop me from claiming him, therefore, he is mine," Davis answered, turning away from the others to walk back to his partner's side.

TK clenched his fists at his side, gritting his teeth at the same time. Davis would never talk about Ken like that. Davis would never talk about _anyone_ like that. It made the blond sick to his stomach. "Pegasusmon, Shooting Star!"

"Shooting Star!" Pegasusmon launched the attack at Davis' back, but a simple wave of his hand created a barrier which deflected the attack.

"Well, then," Davis murmured, turning around to face the chosen again. "It's four against two," he said, as, from the folds of his torn up, white clothing, he produced his Digivice.

Taichi stiffened. Great, this was the last thing they needed. "Be on your gaurd," he warned the Digimon. "Defend each other and yourselves, got it? Hopefully the others will be here soon to help. Gomamon, your target is Davis, Armadillomon, I think you'll be his best help. Pegasusmon and WarGreymon will take care of Veemon."

"Got it, Taichi," WarGreymon answered.

Davis turned to Veemon, giving him only a nod before turning back. "Holy Evolution!" he shouted, thrusting his Digivice forward, as it began to shine with a foreign white light.

"Wh-what's Holy Evolution, dagya?" Digmon gasped.

"Something we should probably be very concerned about," replied Joe who was shaking in his boots.

The white light consumed Veemon, changing him into something totally new. When the light vanished, a fairly large dragon was left in his place. His body was mostly blue, save for the white on his snouth, hands, feet, and chest. A large blue 'V' patterned the hard white muscles in his chest. Two black horns stuck out from the back of his head while a silver one adorned the tip of his snout, which also matched the blades jutting out from his elbows. Finally, two giant tattered red wings sprouted out from his back. "AeroVeedramon!" the beast roared.

"AeroVeedramon, show them what you can do! Destroy them!" Davis shouted, pointing his finger at the group as he lifted himself up into the air to hover above the dragon.

AeroVeedramon wasted no time in obeying his partner's orders. He planted both feet firmly on the ground and opened his mouth wide. "Dragon Impulse!" he roard. A glowing light shone from the back of his throat before it took the shape of a dragon and sprung forth at the other Digimon, pulsing with an intense energy.

WarGreymon was the first to leap into action, his shield clamping together before he leapt in front of his partner, letting the attack hit him in the back. His shield kept the attack from hitting Taichi, but it wasn't enough to stop him from stumbling backwards with pain the moment the attack ended. Gomamon looked quickly from the injured WarGreymon to Davis, who was powering up his own attack. "This is so not good," he breathed. Leaping out of Joe's arms, Gomamon decided to nix Taichi's plan and take matters into his own hands. Giant monster had to face giant monster or else AeroVeedramon was going to wipe the floor with them. "Gomamon Digivolve to... Zudomon!"

"Haven't seen you in a while," Davis sneered.

"Vulcan's Hammer!" Zudomon roared, aiming his hammer at AeroVeedramon's head with a mighty swing.

"Now's our chance, let's go!" Pegasusmon hissed to Digmon, and the two armor Digimon were off to try to attack Davis from behind.

AeroVeedramon countered with his "Wind Guardian!" by flapping his wings to create a shield of wind. The torrent of air sent the hammer back up, leaving Zudomon open for his "Magnum Crush!" AeroVeedramon flung his fist forward and landed a punch square in Zudomon's stomach. "You're no match for me or Davis!" he warned. "You should give up before you look like idiots!"

Zudomon wasn't about to be bested, however. "Blizzard Tusk!" he shouted, attacking with his horns and tusks while he was temporarily disarmed. Meanwhile, Pegasusmon and Digmon had come up behind Davis.

"Equus Beam!" Pegasusmon shouted, shooting his attack. Davis gasped, creating his barrier.

"Gold Rush!" Digmon launched his drill, shattering the barrier. Mustering his strength back up, WarGreymon turned around to attack.

"Terra Force!" He created a huge mass of energy in his hands and launched it at Davis, hitting him straight on, resulting in a cry of pain and a huge cloud of smoke.

AeroVeedramon gasped when he heard his boy cry out in that manner. "You will pay!" he roared. "V-Breath Arrow!" Again his mighty jaws were opened wide. A V-shaped heat beam shot forth and crashed against WarGreymon, sending him ablaze and then back down into Augmon. When the smoke cleared, AeroVeedramon saw Davis had crashed into the ground. The wing on his top left shoulder was terribly mangled. "Davis, get out of here!" the giant blue dragon shouted before launching his Dragon Impulse at Digmon.

Digmon was knocked backwards, and Davis shakily got to his feet, shaking his head. "No, I'm going to destroy them," he growled, gritting his teeth. "Grand Cross!" he yelled, shooting the energy spheres not at the Digimon, but straight at the chosens. Zudomon, however, quickly moved in front of them and absorbed the brunt of the attack. Pegasusmon and Digmon then went to attack again, but Davis narrowed his eyes and turned his attack on them. "Grand Cross!" Patamon and Armadillomon were soon thrown back against the wall, and Taichi, TK, and Cody rushed to their respective Digimon's aids. Davis smirked with victory, even as his damaged wing twitched pathetically.

Zudomon, the last line of defense, wasn't about to let him off scot free. "Hammer Boomerang!" he roared. His discarded hammer seemed to leap to life and swung around, hitting Davis across the back before it whipped up into Zudomon's huge hand. Davis let out a yell of excruciating pain as being hit by the gigantic hammer sent him face-first into the steel floor, dragging his damaged wing along the floor and leaving a trail of blood behind him.

Wide red eyes watched the trail of red. Red... He saw nothing but red. Rage filled AeroVeedramon to the brim. He turned on Zudomon, shaking with all his unbridled wrath and hatred. "You hurt Davis! I'll never forgive you! Now you're going to pay!" AeroVeedramon charged. He wasn't building up for any normal attack. No, this was far more personal.

Joe watched from the side, knowing exactly what was about to happen, but unable to stop it. "Zudomon, get out of the way!" Only it was too late. AeroVeedramon had turned his head down at the last minute and rammed the bladed horn on his snout right into Zudomon's chest.

Zudomon only gasped. His eyes went wide and he dropped his hammer with a thunderous clatter. The room was eungulfed in complete silence as Zudomon's body began to break down. "Oh, no..." Patamon gasped. He knew first hand what was happening. Fighting against the pain, he found the strength to Digivolve back into Pegasusmon, and flew above AeroVeedramon. "Wind Mane!" He shot needles down upon the blue dragon, forcing him to pull away from Zudomon. When AeroVeedramon's horn was drawn out of Zudomon's chest, the breaking down of his body started more rapidly from the now exposed wound. Pegasusmon watched the scene sadly for only a moment before he flew after AeroVeedramon, seeking to settle the score. "Equus Beam!"

Joe had gone pale. His legs were shaking as he stumbled forward towards his Digimon. Zudomon was so big, it was hard to believe he'd suddenly become so helpless. "Zu... Zudomon..." Joe put his hands on his Digimon's leg. "I'm here, Zudomon, you'll be okay. Everything will be okay." AeroVeedramon tried to call up his shield again, but he was too slow. The green beam of energy hit him in the chest, throwing his back as Veemon now. Pegasusmon ended up crashing to the ground as Patamon as well, the last burst of energy running out rather quickly with the two consecutive attacks. Zudomon's face seemed to be frozen in the look of shock at AeroVeedramon's attack as the wound slowly ate away at his body. Eventually, he was enveloped in a great, white glow, and where Joe's hands touched the Digimon's body, an egg soon floated. When the boy touched it, it settled into his arms. Joe took the egg gently into his arms. He was really hoping he'd never have to see that white shell and purple spots ever again. "I'm proud of you," he whispered to the life sleeping inside the DigiEgg. Joe turned, facing the winged boy who was now trying to crawl away.

Taichi saw the look in his friend's eyes. "Joe, don't do anything crazy."

"Save it, Tai." Joe marched forward with the egg still in his arms. Veemon tried to jump in his path, but Joe just pushed him out of the way. It was easy to catch up to Davis and kneal down in front of him. "Do you see this?" Joe asked, meaning the egg he held closely to himself.

Davis turned bloodshot eyes upon Joe. He looked at the egg, sneered, and then spat blood upon it. "I do," he answered hoarsely.

Joe calmly wiped the egg clean. "Your Digimon did this to my Digimon. What do you think that means I should do to you?" the young man asked of the boy.

"You should try to kill me," Davis answered flatly.

"Will that bring my Digimon back?" Joe asked, still calm and serene.

"No, but if you don't, I may just smash that egg."

Joe shook his head. "You're in no position to be smashing anything. You can barely pull yourself across this floor. Maybe, since I'm here, I should rip each of your wings off one by one. Is that something I should do?"

"I'd like to see you try," Davis sneered. "These wings aren't as weak as my headwings or hipwings. They're not gonna come off just because of your Digimon's stupid attacks."

"I see... Then I'll do the only thing I can." Joe placed his Digimon's egg well out of Davis' reach, and then moved to sit beside him. The ever present carrier bag was brought into his lap and dug through. Finally, Joe produce a cleaning solution, gauze, and bandages.

"What the hell are you doing?" TK shouted, cradling his exhausted Patamon. "Don't help his wing get better! That's stupid!"

But Joe paid the blond no mind. "Do you remember me, Davis?"

Davis glared at Joe, wanting to pull himself away but not being able to find the strength. He was quiet for a few long moments before he spat, "Yeah, I remember you."

Joe nodded. "This is going to sting." He dabbed the bloody wing with the gauze he'd soaked in peroxide. "Who am I, Davis?"

Davis hissed, his tired body arching a little as the sting shot through his wing. "You're that doctor guy that did all sorts of ridiculous tests on me and convinced me to take medication," he ground out between his teeth.

"That's right." Joe took his time carefully cleaning away all the blood. He even had to use quite a few pieces of gauze to do it. "You were my first real patient, Davis. Did you know that?"

Davis gave the man a confused look. "I thought you were already a doctor," he said.

Joe shook his head. "No, actually. I just finished school, but no one was giving me a job yet. Until you, everyone I treated was a patient through the learning program." The man smiled slightly. "I'm glad it was you, Davis. I became a doctor to help people, and thanks to you, I was even able to help a friend with my skills."

Davis stared for a moment, before glancing off to the side, his wing twitching slightly. "Good for you, then," he said quietly.

"You were worried I was going to give you a shot, but I promised you there wouldn't be any needles. Didn't I keep my promise?" Joe asked.

"Yeah, no needles," Davis said, his voice still quiet and hoarse. He coughed a bit more, blood speckling across the metal floor.

Joe frowned when he saw the blood on the floor, so he moved to see Davis' face. "Will you open your mouth for me, please?"

"No," Davis said stubbornly, turning his head away.

Joe put his hands up, holding them where Davis could see them. "I just want to look, Davis. You're coughing up blood. It could be in your lungs. Please open your mouth?" Davis still looked wary, but seeing Joe's hands away from him brought him some sort of solace. And since he was left laying there on the floor, he didn't have much of a choice. He opened his mouth slowly to allow Joe to try and acess the problem. "Thank you, Davis." Joe leaned forward, but kept his hands up. Upon closer inspection, he could see a nasty gash in Davis' tongue. The boy had probably bitten it by accident during the fight. "You have a cut on your tongue that is bleedy pretty heavily. I have something that can help. Would you like it?"

"No," Davis said, closing his mouth. "You're not giving me any medication. It'll heal on it's own."

Joe shook his head. "It's not medicine, Davis. It's like a liquid band-aid." He rummaged through his bag again to pull out three small bottles and a stip of white paper. Joe squeezed something from the pink bottle onto the paper. "See? This strip disolves after 24 hours while this pink stuff makes it stick so the wound can close." He licked the strip and smiled. "I like the bubble gum one, but I have grape and cherry, too."

Davis still looked hesitant. He watched Joe lick the strip, and pointed at the bottle he'd taste-tested. "Only if you use that one," he insisted.

"The bubble gum flavor? Sure thing," Joe replied with another smile. He applied the ingestable adhesive to the strip, asked Davis to open his mouth again, and then set the band-aid in place. When he was finished, Joe pulled his hands back again where they could be seen. "How's that?"

"Fine," Davis mumbled. He slowly sat himself upright, dragging himself up as it seemed his legs didn't feel like working. He touched his mouth, almost as if he was waiting for something to happen, but finally came to the conclusion that he hadn't been poisoned... just helped. He turned brown eyes on Joe, and murmured, "...Thank you."

Another smile. "You're welcome, Davis. Now how would you like me to bandage that wing for you?"

"Sure," Davis said, stretching the managled wing around his front. Out of the corner of his eye, he realized that more feathers were beginning to fall from it. When Joe touched the wing, a small flurry of them fell to the ground.

"I'm sorry," Joe said. "I'll try to work quickly." The roll of bandages were immediately put to use. Really, Joe was trying to help. It was who he was. Not only that, but he'd taken an oath to help the sick and the injured. He couldn't go back on something like that. "I can leave some advil with you for the pain," Joe offered, his fingers moving gently yet quickly around the wing.

"I'm not taking medication," Davis spat, looking a little surprised and thankful that no blood came with it. "This is enough."

The young man nodded. "I understand. That's fine." Finally he finished. Joe moved back slightly to admire his work. "How does it feel? It's not too tight, is it?"

"No. Actually, I think it's loose," Davis murmured. He stood up, and as he did, the end of the bandage came loose. He grabbed it and pulled it, and his feathers continued to fall. They littered the ground, and Davis bit his lip, turning to walk away. The farther he walked, the more the bandages came unraveled, billowing out behind him in the rain of feathers. He made a quick motion for Veemon to follow him as he came to the door of the control room, and the last of the bandages fell to the floor, revealing that there was no longer a wing beneath them, as he walked out.

The four chosen children were left standing, watching with surprised faces. More than anything, they couldn't believe that Davis didn't lash out at Joe, blaming the doctor for the loss of his wing. Instead, he just seemed to... accept it. They'd also thought it would take another attack or two to get the wing taken off, but it seemed to have disappeared on its own. "I think... This changes things," Taichi said. Joe merely packed his bag up, taking the discarded bandage as well, and then retrieved Gomamon's egg. Much like Davis had, we walked silently from the room, forcing the others to hurry after him.

It wasn't until they'd gotten back home that Joe said anything, and it took seeing Mimi to make it happen. She'd run up to him, smiling in hopes of a victory, but Joe's face spoke only of loss. Tears finally appeared in his eyes and he held up the egg. "Mimi..." the man whimpered.

"Oh no," Mimi gasped, seeing the egg and knowing immedietly what happened. She threw her arms around her boyfriend's shoulders, hugging him tightly as her consolation. She then pulled back and motioned for him to follow her, quietly saying, "Come on, let's make a bed for him." The rest of the children and Digimon filed into the apartment, half with very different expressions from the others. While the ones who had fought outside were grinning with victory, the ones that had faced Davis were still all looking decidedly shocked.

"I couldn't help him. I couldn't..." Joe's very quiet sobs disappeared with him when he went into the guest room with Mimi.

Taichi grabbed Yamato's shoulders and pulled the blonde back into the bedroom. Ken was fast asleep, so he felt safe to speak his mind. "Yamato, I'm getting that feeling again. Zudomon got killed tonight, Yamato. Killed! He's got Veemon fighting for him now. I... I don't know what to do. What if they all start dying?"

Yamato put his hands up, trying to calm his boyfriend's frantic words. "Taichi... Taichi, we knew when we started that we'd be taking huge risks here. And we knew he wouldn't be alone. Zudomon's death is sad, but..." he reached forward, putting his hands on the brunet's shoulders. "Did you really expect this wouldn't happen?"

"I... I don't know. I knew it could happen, but... I didn't think it would. Or maybe..." Taichi sighed. "Maybe I didn't want to believe that it would. None of you should have to lose your Digimon so soon after getting them back. I'm the leader, Yamato. Shouldn't I be able to protect you all from something like that?"

"You can't be expected to be able to keep track of and protect everyone, Taichi. Eventually, something is going to go wrong. We took out four wings without any losses, I think we did pretty well considering how powerful Lucemon's powers are." He frowned gently. "I don't like that this happened either, and I couldn't stand it if I lost Gabumon, but... we've been through this before, Taichi. Beating yourself up never helps anyone."

Brown eyes looked up into blue. "Do you think Joe blames me?"

"No, Taichi, I don't think that's the case at all." Yamato said, shaking his head. "No one's to blame except Lucemon."

Taichi nodded. "About Lucemon... I think Davis is still a lot closer than we originally assumed."

"How do you figure?" Yamato asked.

"He responded to Joe. It wasn't completely positive, but it wasn't really in a negative way either. He was bitter about the meds Joe put him on, but he also recognized that Joe was only there to help him." Taichi sighed quietly. "WarGreymon and Zudomon tore one of his wings up pretty bad, but it was still in one piece. It wasn't until after Joe made a connection and actually tried to fix the wing that it just... disappeared."

"If that's true..." Yamato said, putting one hand on his chin. "Then maybe we don't need to fight anymore. Maybe invoking an emotional reaction will be enough to bring Davis back."

"Only if Davis stays calm and rational long enough for us to talk to him," Taichi countered. "Cupimon is still in there and he's going to drive Davis' rage and will to fight each time we go back."

"That's true," Yamato sighed, nodding and leaning back against the wall. "We'll just have to hope for the best... the Digimon are starting to get tired. Going back and fighting such a hard fight day after day is probably really straining."

"Between Palmon and Gomamon, things are looking a little grim. Maybe..." Taichi thought for a moment. "Maybe we could spare one day. With Gomamon out of the picture, we need Palmon back in as soon as possible. If the others are rested enough, maybe they can compensate for Palmon being hurt."

Yamato nodded his head. "I think that's the best thing we can do right now. We're already down three fighters between Ken, Mimi, and Joe. We can't wait too long, but jumping right back in is just asking for trouble and will just wear our Digimon down more. So... let's give it that day and hope for the best." He then stood himself back up again, walking over to his boyfriend and gently kissing his cheek. "You're doing a great job so far, Taichi. Don't beat yourself up when stuff goes wrong. You know it's inevitable sometimes."

Taichi smiled, gateful for the kiss. He nodded. "I just thought I'd be better at it by now."

"You are," the blond said quietly. "But no one's ever perfect."


	10. Memories

When Taichi told the rest of the group that they'd be taking a day for a break, the Digimon couldn't have been happier. Some of the kids were concerned at first, but once they saw how much the Digimon needed the rest, they accepted the single day break as well. "As long as it's just one day. We can't get lazy," Yolei had said. With the group relaxing in the living room, watching television, reading, eating and talking, it almost seemed like nothing was wrong. Like they weren't fighting a friend turned evil diety day by day. It was a welcome escape, if one they all knew was going to be short-lived. Ken was lying in bed, silent and reserved like he had been for days, and petting down Wormmon's back. He would smile at his Digimon, but not really anyone else. They had invited him out to spend time with them, but he'd turned them down by looking away. Ken didn't mean to shut them out, but he didn't want to bring them down with his current state. It seemed like the boy was going to fall asleep when his hand froze on Wormmon's back and suddenly sat up.

Wormmon looked up, eyes widening with surprise as his boy suddenly jolted upright. "Ken, what's wrong?" Ken looked toward the bedroom door. He picked Wormmon up in his arms and carried him out. All the other kids looked at Ken when he emerged, but none of them where his focus right now. Ken walked to the other side of the living room, slid open the glass door, and stood on the balcony. Indigo eyes stared towards the park. There, up in the sky just over the trees, was a strange vortex that seemed to be cracking the clouds apart.

Izzy and Tentomon were the first ones to join him on the balcony. Upon seeing the vortex, Izzy gasped and turned back towards the inside, waving for the others to come look. "Guys! It looks like..." he turned back, peering at the break in the clouds. "A Digital Gate!"

One by one they each got up and came to crowd onto the small balcony. Every eye was trained on the gate slowly opening over the park. Ken held Wormmon closer to his chest. "Davis..."

"Remember what he said yesterday?" Patamon squeaked in alarm as he hovered in front of the balcony. "He's trying to come through to the real world for Ken!"

"Tch..." Taichi clenched his fists. "I swore we had more time. If I knew he could do something like this... All right, everyone listen up!" he said, getting their attention. "I think it's obvious our day off is now back on. We have to stop Davis from getting through that portal. Ken isn't the only one at risk here, so is the rest of the city. We don't know what Davis will do to the populace if given the chance. Joe and Mimi, you two stay here and hold down the fort. Izzy, you need to stay here too and get that portal closed."

"Got it," Izzy said, nodding his head quickly and taking his Digimon inside to get to work on trying to close the portal.

"Do you think we can confront him by going straight through that portal? I can carry you guys," Biyomon offered.

"I'm not sure," Taichi replied. "Davis is going to be right there on the other side. He might even attack us coming through, but I'd rather go straight to him than go through his little holy armada." He looked at the blonde, again seeking his guidance. "Yamato?"

"If we use the portal we have right now, that army will try to stop us, and we'll probably waste too much time and he'll come through this portal before we even get inside." Yamato turned, nodding at Taichi. "We should go straight through."

Taichi nodded. "Right. Everyone get ready to go. Ken, you need to get back in the bedroom." Only Ken didn't move. He kept watching the sky. Ken could practically feel Davis on the other side of that gate. His heart beat faster and his breathing shook. "Ken!" Taichi said again, trying to get the boy's attention. "Ken, now!"

"Ken," Wormmon said, tugging on the front of the boy's shirt. "Ken, come on. We need to get inside. It's too dangerous to watch from out here."

Ken looked down at his Digimon. "Davis..." he said with a bit of hope, perhaps disillusioned.

Wormmon shook his head quickly. "Not now, Ken. We need to stay safe." The boy looked crestfallen, his whole body slumping in disappointment. Regardless, he nodded his head and went back to the bedroom where he crawled under the covers with Wormmon close to him.

Taichi sighed. He hated seeing Ken like that, but above all he really wished the kid would snap out of it. "All right, guys, let's get going."

Biyomon Digivolved to Garudamon, and the kids and Digimon piled onto her shoulders and into her hands. Even though the giant bird was at huge risk of being seen, the giant hole in the sky would cause a panic too if they didn't close it up quickly. Garudamon flew as fast as she could straight up into the portal, looking almost like a flash of burning light across the sky as she vanished into the clouds. They appeared inside of what looked like a huge boiler room. In the center was a metallic core, with four bridges leading to it. Garudamon landed on one of the bridges, letting the others off onto the landing. "Where is he, dagya?" Armadillomon asked cautiously as they stepped off onto the platform.

"Anywhere," TK warned, "that's the problem." They split up into groups. Garudamon and WarGreymon took one bridge, MetalGarurumon and Pegasusmon took the second bridge, Digmon and Nefertimon took the third, and finally the twins and Halsemon took the fourth. At least that way, no matter where Davis appeared from, they were on guard over each other.

They waited, standing over the swirling portal, which had replaced whatever had been at the bottom of the chamber. A few long, silent moments passed before dark laughter began to fill the chamber. "Where's it coming from!" Pegasusmon gasped, his wings standing upright with alarm, ready to take off.

"I should have known you all would have come to try and stop me."

"You know we don't have a choice, Davis," Taichi replied to the voice he could not see. "We can't let you hurt Ken, and we certainly can't let you bring harm to people in the real world. You've been losing to us so far, Davis. Maybe you want to give up this time?"

"I told you," the voice said darkly. "I will never surrender." Suddenly, there was a loud sound as the metal tube in the center of the room began to move. It was raised upwards, revealing the boy standing inside the core. He was smirking slightly, and held something in his hand that looked like a small, lilac-colored rectangle. He was encased in some sort of obvious forcefield which had previously been encasing the object he now held. "Tell me, Taichi," Davis said, turning to face him and brandishing the object. "Do you know what this is?"

Taichi looked upon the strange purple object with narrow eyes. He didn't recognize it one bit, but he didn't get the best feeling from it either. "Not really, no..." he replied hesitantly.

"This," Davis said, tossing the object in the air and catching it with two fingers on his opposite hand. "Is the Crest of Kindness." His wings fluttered with anticipation as his smirk grew. "And I think you know first-hand what happens when a crest gets close to its appropriate bearer."

"Shit..." Taichi hissed.

Davis quickly tucked the object away inside of his robes. "If you agree not to chase me, I promise not to cause any destruction. I'll just take what is mine and come back here. No harm done."

It was a choice that weighed heavily on Taichi for a long time. He could feel the others waiting for him to say something, but it just wasn't that easy. Davis was making a very tempting offer. The safety of the real world was top priority, but should Ken really be sacrificed for that? What would Davis do to the kid once he had Ken back? Taichi didn't think he could live with that on his conscience. "I can't allow that, Davis," he finally said.

"Fine, then," Davis said, turning his face upwards and frowning. "Then let the human world's decimation rest on your shoulders." He spread his wings and leapt down off of the platform he stood upon.

"Eagle Claw!" Garudamon caught him before he could finish his dive, slashing him and sending him shooting upwards towards the top of the chamber.

"Laser Sight!" MetalGarurumon fired his icy lasers down towards the portal. It took a lot of effort, but he finally created a wall of ice over the swirling vortex. At least then Davis couldn't drop through so easily.

"Mach Impulse!" Halsemon sent his blades of wind up at Davis, taking advantage of the moment while the boy was still stunned.

"Gah!" Davis yelled when he was hit by the attack. It seemed to do nothing more than make him dive down for a moment before he swooped across the bridges. He shot his Grand Cross at Halsemon, sending him down until he landed hard on the bridge. Most of the Digimon ducked as he flew past. WarGreymon stuck his claws up in the air, trying to hit him as he went past, but Davis grabbed his arm and used his inertia to flip the Digimon off of the bridge he stood on, sending him down into the bottom of the room, where he hit the ice with a loud crack. Davis then tok off again and this time, grabbed the arm of one of the kids blindly, carrying them up to the top of the metal core in the center of the room, where he roosted with his arm securely wrapped around the kid's neck.

"Willis!" the twins cried.

"I'm okay!" Willis called down to them. "He isn't hurting me!" Of course who knew how long that would last. "Hey, Davis? You maybe want to put me down?" he asked, trying to joke around a little but not mock.

Davis grit his teeth and tightened his arm around the blond's neck. "Shut up." Tururiemon rushed towards the metal core and started to use his blades to climb up, while Gargomon watched worriedly from the bridge, unable to climb due to his huge, gun-like hands. "Grand Cross!" Davis growled, shooting the attack down at Tururiemon, sending the rabbit-like Digimon falling back down onto the bridge.

"Kokomon!" Willis gasped. "Davis! Davis, don't hurt him!" He tried to pry the arm off from around his neck, but Davis had a tight hold on him. "Davis, I don't want Kokomon to be an egg again. Don't you remember how hard we worked to save him?"

"I don't remember this Digimon at all," Davis sneered, shaking his head. Turuiemon shook his head, and tried to climb the side of the core again, despite his brother's insistance that they stop. Again, Davis shot him down.

Willis bit his lip before looking down at his Digimon. "Gummimon!" he called. "Be... Be Gummimon like before!"

"What?" Gargomon asked, looking confused. He looked at his brother, who was staggering back to his feet. "Can... can we devolve on command?" Gargomon asked.

"I don't know," Turuiemon responded, shaking his head as he got his blades out again. "But I'll make him remember one way or the other." He started to climb again, and a third time, Davis shot him down.

"Try again and I'll strangle him!" he roared, tightening his hold to a dangerous point.

Willis gasped as the air was squeezed from his wind pipes. "Gummimon! Kokomon! Be like before, please!" he begged through a choked breath.

"Willis!" the twins cried again. Suddenly, Willis' Digivice began to screech. A light shone from it, and Davis looked down, eyes widening in surprise.

"Gargomon Digivolve to..." Lights encased both of the twins. When the light faded from Gargomon, left standing there was a metal-plated Digimon, growing even taller than his Garogomon form. He had armor of red, green, and silver, and his hands had been transformed from gatling guns to cannons. "Rapidmon!"

"Turuiemon Digivolve to..." When the light faded from around Turuiemon, he was as tall as Rapidmon, with a slim, almost elongated looking form. Long ears drooped down from a small head with wild red eyes, and long arms hung at his sides. "Antylamon!" The two Digimon practically shot up the side of the metal core, giving Davis no time to even attempt to shoot at them before they landed on either side. Even though it wasn't what Willis had asked for, Davis' eyes finally widened with recognition. Though he'd seen Rapidmon's golden armor form, the green color was the only thing different, and so he recalled the Digimon's shape. Antylamon, on the other hand, looked almost exactly the same. However, unlike his evil virus form, his fur was a richer shade of brown, and there was golden lining on the ruff around his neck. Davis stumbled backwards, his arm loosening just enough on Willis' neck in his surprise to allow the boy a breath.

"It's that evil Digimon that could turn back time!" he gasped, eyes wide with alarm.

Willis took a deep gasping breath of relief. He held his hands up to signal his Digimon not to attack. "Th-That's right, Davis, but Kokomon is all better now. Don't you remember? You came to the U.S... America! You came to America and I asked for your help. Kokomon was taken from me and made very sick with an evil virus. You helped me make him better!"

"I don't remember him getting better..." Davis murmured. "He died. That's what I remember. He faded away."

"I was reborn," Antylamon said in a quiet, calm voice.

"Reborn..." Davis echoed, biting his lip slightly.

There were tears in blue eyes. He hated the memory, but he had to keep going. "We beat the bad Kokomon and that allowed him to be reborn. Don't you remember?" Willis smiled slightly and touched the arm around his neck. "We met in the back of that truck, but then we got stranded in the middle of nowhere. Veemon turned into that black armored Veemon and we rode him together. I remember you chased me into the woods. You refused to leave me by myself." The blond laughed slightly. "I told you my story and you cried."

Davis listened to this while staring at Antylamon. His face was still contorted into a scowl, but his eyes twitched as the memory flooded into his mind. "He... turned back time. In order to get rid of the virus infecting him," Davis said quietly, understanding creeping into his tone.

Willis nodded. "We got turned back into little kids." He smiled again, even laughing. "You had that one tooth that was growing in funny. Remember the angel Digimon? They released those two golden Digimentals. You and I used them for golden armor evolution." Willis gestured to Rapidmon. "I got a gold armored Gummimon, and you got a gold armored Veemon. B-But the bad Kokomon ate them." He shook his head to fight the tears. "They attacked the virus and then Kokomon turned pink. He was happy. He was all better. You and I did that, Davis."

"I remember that..." Davis whispered. Suddenly, his voice no longer sounded dark. It was no longer a growl or hiss that echoed another being's voice and tone. It was normal. His brown eyes looked from Rapidmon, to Willis, and then back to Antylamon. "I do..." he paused for a moment, stepping back a bit.

From the bridge below, Yolei gave a gasp. "He's getting too close to the edge!"

Willis swallowed. He had no idea what would happen if the both of them ended up falling off. "Kokomon has wanted to thank you!" he suddenly insisted. "If it wasn't for you, Kokomon would still be sick." Willis looked at Antylamon and made a gesture to reach out his hand. "Kokomon is very good now, Davis. If you put your hand in his paw, he'll shake it."

Antylamon slowly lifted his hand, his long arm moving fluidly, almost as if there were no joints inside. Davis eyed the hand for a moment, before he looked at the Digimon and asked in a hoarse voice, "Can you still turn back time? In order to heal?"

Blue eyes looked up at his Digimon and then at Davis. "What do you want to heal?"

Davis faultered, lifting his own hand a bit, but still not touching Antylamon's. "I... There is something ugly inside of me," he whispered. "It... I don't know what... But... I want it gone..."

Willis nodded. "That's why we're here, Davis. You've been infected just like Kokomon. You have something inside you making you bad." He attempted to slip free from the neck hold. "We all want to make you better. Will you let us do that?"

Davis let go of Willis' neck, only for his hands to ball up in the front of the boy's shirt, holding him by the collar. His face looked angry, but his voice told a different story. "Please..." he gasped, eyes fighting between being narrowed with rage and wide with pleading.

Willis nodded again before looking up at his tall partner. "Can you help him, Kokomon?"

"Well, I... Could only turn back time as Cherubimon that time..." Antylamon said quietly. "And even then, I don't know if I can do it without the virus..."

"Guys," Rapidmon hissed, turning their attention back to Davis. He let go of Willis' shirt, stumbling backwards again and putting his hands on his head, shaking slightly as his eyes slammed shut.

Willis ran forward. He grabbed Davis' shoulders, holding tightly without being a threat. "Hold on, Davis! We're trying!" Willis looked over his shoulder back at Antylamon. "Please try!" he begged. "Just try, Kokomon! If it works, Davis will be better!"

"I'll try," Antylamon said, nodding his head. He stepped towards Davis, still unsure of what he was going to do. Finally, he brought his hands together and bowed his head, closing red eyes as he started to chant quietly under his breath. Suddenly, everything around them inverted in color, just like it had when he first tapped into the power under the virus' influence. The bright blue ice that sheilded them from the digital gate below turned a threatening black, and the harsh metal tones of the haven became the same pink as the markings on Antylamon's ears. The headache that had suddenly come over Davis seemed to have lifted as he removed his hands from his head, looking up at Willis with now tear-filled eyes.

Willis' now muddy red eyes stared into the snowy blue orbs Davis' had become. The tears were a strange grey color, but he recognized them in an instant. Willis offered a smile to the other boy and squeezed his shoulders. "Davis? Davis, it's all right. Antylamon is doing all he can. Just stay with me, okay? It's all right."

"I- I can't," Davis whispered, still shaking. His wings had turned black, and shook along with him, a few of them flapping so quickly in fear that they made an audible snapping sound as they whipped through the air. "I can't do it. I-I have to go," he said quickly.

"Davis. Davis. Davis, no. You have to give it more time," Willis pleaded. They were so close! "Calm down. Just calm down. Focus on being normal again. Put everything else out of your mind. Force the evil out, Davis."

The tears streaked further down Davis' face, and he shook his head quickly, suddenly grabbing Willis' hands and yanking them off of his shoulders. He continued to shake his head as he stumbled backwards, and his foot hit the edge of the platform, his heel tilting backwards off the side. "He's gonna fall!" Garudamon shouted, her own wings spreading. But when Davis fell over the side of the core, she found that she had no time to get him. He moved as if in fast motion, like a bullet. Black feathers streamed out behind him, abandoning one of his wings on the same side of his body as the last one that he lost. He hit the ice with a loud smashing sound, and the black surface crumbled around him as he ricocheted into the digital gate waiting below.

Willis dropped to his knees, clutching the edge of the platform as he leaned over it. "Davis!" he shouted in fear. The blond visibly flinched when his friend's body slammed into the ice. Willis swore every bone in Davis' body was going to be broken now. When the winged figure vanished, he was back on his feet in front of Antylamon. "Wh-What happened? What went wrong?"

Antylamon brought his hands apart, and everything turned back to its proper color. "Lucemon," he said quietly, shaking his head. "He wouldn't allow it. He had to get Davis out of here as quickly as he could to avoid being healed."

"Damn it!" Willis brought his fists down on Antylamon's stomach, knowing it wouldn't hurt his Digimon and that Antylamon wouldn't mind. "We were so close! He just needed to hold out for a little longer!"

"I'm sorry, Willis," Antylamon said quietly, lifting his hands slowly and placing them on his boy's back. "I did the best that I could."

"We need to follow him into the real world," Rapidmon said.

"He's right," said TK, who was now climbing onto Pegasusmon's back. "At the very least, Ken is still in danger. Davis could be hurt, too. Not to mention that in his confused state, Lucemon might lash out and people could get hurt."

"Let's go," Kari said, getting onto Nefertimon's back as well. The other kids all climbed on to their Digimon, Willis being placed on Rapidmon's shoulders while Antylamon jumped across the room and seemed to stick to the wall, crawling down it towards the hole in the ice as Rapidmon much more safely carried their partner down using the device on his shoulders that almost worked like a jetpack. When they all crossed through the portal, they again found themselves in the park, each Digimon landing gracefully in the grass. "Where'd he go?" Kari asked, looking around the park, but seeing no sign of the winged boy.

Taichi looked around as well. "There are a few options," he said. "Davis has either retreated into the woods, has run into the city, or... gone looking for Ken. He was pretty scared back there, so my guess was that he's gone into hiding, but I really can't be sure."

"So what should we do?" Yolei asked. "We can't just parade our Digimon around looking for him... but we can't just let him run wild, either."

"I think someone should go back to the house," Kari said. "I'm worried about the others. I know Izzy and Tentomon are there, but Tentomon won't be able to Digivolve to fight Davis if he gets inside."

Some decisions needed to be made, and Taichi knew he needed to make them. "All right, Pegasusmon, Nefertimon, and Halsemon will patrol the city from the sky. If you all fly high enough, people won't notice you. WarGreymon, Rapidmon, Antylamon, and Garudamon will stay here with me. We'll search the woods in the park since the trees will keep us well hidden. MetalGarurumon and Digmon should go back to the apartment. You two are more suited for grounded fighting anyway."

"Got it," said each member of the group, nodding their heads. Pegasusmon, Nefertimon, and Halsemon took off into the sky, flying upwards until they vanished into the clouds. Tired, Garudamon devolved into Birdramon, which made her short enough to hide in the trees without having to crouch over. MetalGarurumon and Digmon also devolved back, which helped them fit back into the apartment. As Yamato closed the door, he looked around,frowning a bit.

"It seems quiet enough here..."

The door to the bedroom suddenly slammed shut as if a harsh wind had blown upon it. The silence continued for only a few short seconds before Ken was heard screaming from inside the room. Joe came running out of the guestroom with Mimi right behind him. "What's going on?"

Yamato rushed over to the door, trying to open it, but finding it locked. He shook the knob relentlessly until Armadillomon came up behind him. "Out of the way, dagya!" The blond jumped back, and Armadillomon curled into a ball before throwing himself at the door, shouting, "Diamond Shell!", and knocking it down with a harsh slam. Inside, the windows had been thrown open, and cold air rushed into the apartment when the door was taken down. Inside, Davis stood upon the bed, holding Ken by his hair. His eyes snapped over to the group now assembled in the hall when the door loudly hit the floor, and he at once made a break for the window, dragging Ken along with him.

Ken cried as Davis pulled him along cruely. He tried to reach up and force the hand away, but he couldn't even manage to uncurl Davis' fingers. He looked to the others with pleading eyes just as Davis was about to leap through the window. "Anger is the anchor that drags you down, Davis," said Cody, who had stepped forward from the group. The young boy didn't shout or plead like the others did. He only looked on with those calm, wise green eyes.

Davis hesitated, one foot already balanced on the sill of the window. He whipped his head around, glaring angrily back into a much more level gaze. "What was that?" he growled.

"Cody, be careful, dagya," Armadillomon whispered worriedly.

Cody stayed his hand to show his Digimon things were under control. "Your wings can only carry you so far. Soon your heart will be too heavy. You will never succeed, Davis. Anger and hatred make us blind until we can no longer see the path to what we want. We wander through the darkness of our own evil bile until failure is all we are capable of."

Davis continued to glare, until he finally dropped Ken down to the floor, releasing his hair rather suddenly. His wings twitched with irritation as he turned on his heel to face Cody rather than speak to him over his shoulder. "I think you're wrong," he answered simply.

"When has anger and hatred ever gotten someone what they wanted?" Cody asked.

"It got the Kaiser exactly what he wanted for four long years," Davis growled.

"Did it really?" Cody held out his hands. "Was the Kaiser truly happy with what he had? Where is the Kaiser now?"

Davis stared for a moment, and then his wings drooped. "He's dead now," he said quietly. "But it wasn't his anger or his hatred that killed him. It was Millenniummon!"

The small boy nodded. "His death was sad, as is the end of all things we love. But Davis, was Millenniummon not the very source of the Kaiser's rage?"

"That isn't the point!" Davis shouted, his wings flapping angrily. "Even if Millenniummon changed his personality, it wasn't his anger itself that was his demise. The only thing his rage brought him was power!"

"The power was not his, Davis." Cody remained calm and collected as always, speaking words that were wise beyond his years. "The power was always Millenniummon's. He gave it and he took it away, just as your power will be. Lucemon gives you your power, but once he is done with you, that power will be stripped from you."

Davis was seething, and reached his hands down to grip at the windowsill. He was silent for a moment, just staring Cody down. He was clearly frustrated by how unintimidated the boy was. His face seemed to change at one point, however, and he began to speak as if someone was whispering in his ear, and he was repeating their words. "That... isn't true," he said, shaking his head, lifting his hands again to gesture grandly at his wings. "This is the power of the Messiah! It's meant for me!"

"Power and possessions are fleeting," said Cody, not one to be fooled by the words of men or Digimon. "Look at Ken. You wish to have him, that much is obvious, but Ken will not last forever. Even if you were to possess Ken, he will still grow sick or old, and eventually die." He took a turn gesturing at the wings. "Even the power of the Messiah is fading. Your wings are falling away, Davis. When an angel loses his wings, he is nothing more than a man. The only question left is, how long will your power last?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Davis saw a feather fall to the floor. He gasped, shaking his head quickly. "Forever! I'm not going to lose any more wings!" he shouted. "I will build an army so great that no on will be able to get to me to take any more away!"

Cody shook his head. "More possessions, Davis. An army can be just as easily stripped from you. Rome saw its men fall one by one until the Empire collapsed. Its power was too great for it to handle. Would you risk something like that, Davis? Will you allow your power to consume and destroy you? There is a fork in your path now. Your power will either wither away or it will overtake your very self. Men who go mad with power are often betrayed by those closest to them. Who will be your Judas? Who will be your Brutus? Are you ready for that?"

"What choice do I have?" Davis hissed. His wings rustled with discontent, as if they disagreed with his words. "Power that is not willingly given is not willingly stripped. It is my only choice to take advantage of the situation I find myself in!"

"It is said that power corrupts, but actually it's more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power." Cody stared into Davis' eyes. "You aren't either of those things, are you, Davis? You aren't corruptible or insane, are you?"

Davis hesitated, biting his lip at the boy's choice of words. "There was a time when... everyone called me insane," he said quietly. He lifted his hand to tug gently on the now torn up white clothing he wore. "Even strangers could see it. Sense it."

"And since when does Daisuke Motomiya let people be right about anything? The Davis I remember would be doing everything he could to prove them wrong. Prove it to them now, Davis. Prove you're a good, sensible person."

Davis continued to chew on his lip, looking incredibly conflicted. Finally, he gave a scoff, and murmured to himself, "I need to learn to keep away from you." He took off, leaving a stream of feathers behind him. A few fell to the floor, and amoungst them was the Crest of Kindness, glowing a soft purple as it fell beside Ken on the floor. Cody looked up when he felt a hand on his head. It was slightly comical seeing Joe, the tallest of them, looking down at the smallest of the group. He smiled at the boy with a nod. Cody had done well. Ken picked the small crest up in his hand, letting it rest in his open palm. Indigo eyes stared down at the crest until Ken showed it to Wormmon.

Wormmon had been watching in horror from the bed, but had quickly jumped down and rushed to his boy's side when Davis had dropped him. He inspected the crest, and then his antenna perked up. "You've finally got it back, Ken," he said, smiling in that way of his. "All the chosen children from back then had crests to Digivolve their Digimon to Ultimate, and you were no different. You were always meant to have the Crest of Kindness."

Ken looked at the crest and then back at Wormmon. "Mine?"

Joe looked surprised. "He's talking?"

"Yes, of course, Ken," Wormmon said, moving closer to the boy and putting his claws on his ankle. "I don't know if you remember this, but you got that crest back when you were travelling the Digital World with Ryo. When you came back, you decided to use it to power your citadel, since it never helped you evolve anything to Ultimate anyway." His eyes seemed to light up as he went on to say, "It's good to see you holding the Crest of Kindness again, though."

Ken sighed. "Davis..." He was grateful the other teenager had gotten it back to him, even if by accident. Thinking about Davis brought a new frown to Ken's face, however, as he touched the tender spot on his scalp. "Davis."

"He's getting better, but at the same time, he's getting worse..." Wormmon said quietly. "The other kids took a lot of his wings off, but it's only made him more violent and angry."

Ken looked sad and thoughtful for a few minutes. He eyes looked at the bed where it would be so easy to crawl back into. He looked at the other kids still standing in the doorway, all watching him. He then looked to the window where Davis had fled. Finally, Ken looked down at the feather left behind on the floor. The boy picked one up and held it to his chest. "I... want to..." He seemed to be struggling with the words. "W-Want to..."

Wormmon tilted his head to the side, watching the boy. "Want to what, Ken?" he asked quietly.

Ken breathed. "Save Davis."

Wormmon's antenna stood almost upright. "D-does this mean you want to fight, Ken?"

Ken nodded. "Save Davis," he said again. Indigo eyes looked into those of his Digimon which were almost the same color. "Help?"

"Of course," Wormmon said, nodding quickly. "I'll do anything to help you, Ken."

The pale boy smiled and picked his Digimon up in a hug. "Love you, Wormmon."

Wormmon nuzzled his head up under his partner's chin, closing his eyes as he did. "I love you too, Ken."


	11. Mother Dearest

It almost seemed as if fighting Davis on home turf was actually a good thing. Davis seemed lost and confused in the real world as opposed to the Digital World, where most of his power lied. After he escaped into the city the first day, the flying Digimon were put on a regular patrol of the city. Izzy had managed to close up the digital gate, so Davis had no where to run. After a few days, Yolei had found him in an alley, and had managed to take away yet another wing. Now, he had no wings on one side. All four of his wings were left on the other side of his body. It looked strange, and why they had fallen off that way baffled the kids even more. But the Digidestined paid less mind to it, and more to the fact that they were getting very close to taking away every single wing, and it seemed like as long as Davis was stuck in the real world, he wasn't going to fight back. It seemed almost as if he was just spending his time hiding. That was until one night, after a fruitless patrol, the group settled on the couches in Taichi's apartment and turned on the television. The news instantly flickered to life. Kari grabbed at the remote to change the channel, but paused, her eyes wide, at the headline on-screen. "Numerous cases of women who've been attacked have been pouring in from across the city," one of the news-anchors said.

"They all seem to suffer multiple burns and bruises," the other offered.

"The victims have been describing their attacker as a teenaged boy with dark hair who seems to have fake wings strapped to his back."

"That's very peculiar," the other anchor responded. "And all of the victims seem to be in the same state of shock. They don't want to speak to anyone and only talk about their attacker."

"Pour souls."

TK clenched his fists. "Davis is getting out of control! What does he think he's doing attacking innocent people?"

"Why is it only women?" Cody pondered aloud, eyes still watching the news.

"Maybe there's an underlying resentment we haven't figured out yet," Joe offered.

Ken sat quietly in a chair in the corner of the room with Wormmon in his lap, as always. The boy still wasn't talking very much. Such a skill was taking time to come back. He'd borrowed clothes from TK, though he looked a bit strange in them, the style not fitting his personality. Ken had also borrowed a pair of hair sticks from Mimi which he used to keep his long locks up in a bun and out of the way. "Mama..." he mumbled.

"What was that, Ken?" Wormmon asked, his soft voice unheard by the other kids, who continued to speculate, ignoring the news program, which had moved on to interviews of people who had claimed to see this new attacker.

"Perhaps during his time in the real world he felt betrayed by a woman," Yamato suggested.

Meanwhile, someone on the television said, "I saw him! He looked like some kind of angel."

"Do you think he has a plan, or is he just lashing out because he's scared and angry?" Kari murmured.

"I don't think those wings are fake. I think it's an angel, come to punish the bad!"

"Whatever he's doing, we need to stop him before it gets worse," Yolei murmured.

Ken swallowed. He remembered Davis telling him about his parents. About the burial and how they moved away. To think that your own mother had given up on you, her own child, and left him all alone... "Mama," Ken said a bit louder this time. He sighed and looked down at his Digimon. "Mama."

"Ken... Ken, I'm sorry, but I don't understand," Wormmon said, shaking his head slightly. "What about your mother?"

Ken shook his head, again battling with the words. "Davis. Mama left him." He turned to the girl sitting closest to him. "K-Kari!"

Kari turned, brushing back her hair, looking surprised that Ken had called her. "What is it, Ken?" she asked.

"The... The women," he said. "Like mama. Mama left him."

Kari looked puzzled for a moment, but then her face reflected understanding. "You mean... Davis' mother. How she wanted to move after they declared him dead."

Ken nodded. "Davis is m-mad at... at mama. At women. He's mad..."

"I don't think he's angry..." Kari said, shaking her head. "He may act that way because of Lucemon, but... I think he's scared."

He frowned. "Why mamas? Why women?"

"I think I may have an idea," Yamato said from across the room. They turned to look at him, and the blond gestured to his shirt, which was white. "Davis was put into the insanity ward because of evidence provided by the guidance counselor at the school... who was a woman and who was supposed to have never shared what students said to her. Also..." he turned to them, leaning against the back of the couches. "Most of the male figures in Davis' life... The Kaiser, Taichi... have all been powerful in his eyes. He probably feels more intimidated by them."

"Well attacking defenseless women who are all by themselves is something Taichi would never do," TK spat. "Maybe the Kaiser, but not Taichi. I thought Davis looked up to Taichi? Why would he do something that would disappoint his idol?"

"Because Davis isn't alone in his body," Taichi reminded the younger blond. "Lucemon is in there reminding Davis of all the horrible things that happened to him. He can't help what he's doing, or else I'm sure he wouldn't be attacking these women at all."

TK continued to frown. "All I know is that he had better not try anything on..." He suddenly gasped. "Mom is all alone at home today! What if Davis goes after her?"

Kari turned to TK, now looking alarmed as well. "Anyone could be at risk!" she gasped, looking around at the others. "I think... I think we should all split up. A lot more people could be targets now that just Ken. Instead of all being here... I think TK is right. We should go protect our families."

Ken looked worried, afraid he'd be left alone if everyone went back home, but then Willis spoke up. "My parents are back in Colorado, so I'll stay here to hold down the fort."

Joe nodded. "Mimi and I will stay, too. Her parents are living in New York, and my dad is actually in Sweden right now for new medical training. Besides, I'm not leaving Gomamon alone."

"Then the rest of us will head home to protect our families while you guys act as headquarters here," Izzy said, nodding at the plan. "I'll set up a method of contact between all of our computers so we can share information." He looked thoughtful for a moment, nodding his head as he went over a few details in his mind. "We all live in various parts of the city, so I think each of us can be given a certain sector near our homes to patrol and we can keep up what we've been doing. If we spot Davis we can get in contact with each other and act as back up. This may actually be more efficient than patrolling the city as a single unit."

TK looked to his older brother. "Yamato, will you come back with me? We both know dad can take care of himself. I mean... He kind of scares anybody who isn't his kid anyway. Mom's gonna need us."

Yamato looked uncertain at first. He lifted one of his arms, grabbing at his other weakly. He thought for a few long moments, but then released his arm and nodded his head. "Yeah, you're right, TK. She does. I'll go back with you."

A big smile beamed on TK face. "Thanks, bro!"

"Of course," Yamato answered with his own grin, reaching his hand forward to ruffle his brother's hair.

"Since there'll be two of us in one place, we can cover a bigger area," Patamon offered from where he sat on TK's lap.

"Alright, I'll make a note of that," Izzy said. "I'll let you guys all know where your boundaries all lie after I take a look at where everyone's homes are."

"A mid-point between all of us will probably be the school," Yolei said. "So maybe you should start mapping from there."

"Good idea," Izzy murmured, now getting to his feet. "Let me work on that. I'll give you guys all copies of the map before you head home."

Ken watched as most of the kids began to disperse, packing their belongings and getting ready to go home. It made him sad. They all had a mission. They all had someone to keep safe, even if that someone wasn't necessarily here at the moment. He sighed. "I can't protect mama," he said to Wormmon.

"Oh, Ken," Wormmon said quietly, looking up at the boy sadly. He didn't like to hear his boy talk about that. The memory was obviously very painful. "Davis needs your help now, Ken."

"But... But, no one will l-let me ne-nea-near... near him," Ken argued. Which was true. While everyone was glad to have Ken back in the game, they were very protective of him and often refused to let him on the front lines.

"This isn't up to the others, Ken," Wormmon said, shaking his head. "When it's time... and you'll know when that is... you'll be able to help him." He warbled out something of a laugh, wrapping one of his boy's fingers up in his tiny claws. "We'll help him."

Ken managed a smile and a nod for his Digimon. "Save Davis," he said with determination.

"Right," Wormmon said, nodding his head as well with his own determined expression. "We're gonna save Davis, no matter what anyone says."

TK fished his keys from his pocket once they'd arrived home. Izzy had given him and Yamato their boundary maps. Apparently they were in charge of everything from their mother's apartment, to the TV station, to the water front. "Please try not to be weird with mom, okay? You know she only gets like she does because she's nervous and thinks you hate her."

"I'll try, TK," Yamato said, crossing his arms as they walked. "We're not on the best terms, sure, but... now is definately not the time for family quarrelling. Even I understand that."

TK nodded. "Thanks." He opened the door and walked inside, removing his shoes and letting Patamon out of the duffle bag on his shoulder. "Mom, I'm home! Yamato is here, too. I thought we could spend some time together."

"TK!" The scream was heard from his mother's study. The boy ran right in to see Davis' fist in the front of her blouse and his open palm raised. She looked to her son, fear evident in her eyes.

TK clenched both his teeth and his fists. He knew Davis was going to strike close to home! Ms. Takashi lived alone when TK wasn't around, making her a prime target. "Let her go, Davis!"

"You know," Davis said smoothly, despite his clenched teeth. "If it hadn't been for her, you could have helped me. I never would have been locked away!" his eyeswent wild as he feircely smacked his hand across the woman's face.

Nancy cried out as she was struck. It was strange, but she hardly recognized Davis. The possession and the lack of sleep had changed him so much. "TK... TK, call the police," she said, voice strained against the pain.

"It wasn't her fault!" the boy protested. "Even if she hadn't kept me at home, what could I have done?"

"Something! Anything!" Davis roared. "You could have told them I wasn't crazy instead of letting her lead you away like I was some sort of rabid animal!" Again he smacked Nancy across the face, practically shaking with rage.

"Stop it!" TK shouted. He ran forward like he saw American football players do on television once. Upon contact, his arms went around Davis' waist and TK plowed him into the wall with a horrible crash. They both slumped to the floor, but since TK hadn't received the brunt of the hit, he was able to scramble up and over to his mother. "Mom... Mom?" He picked the woman up in his arms, holding her close. "It's okay mom... I've got you."

Davis groaned quietly, rubbing his head as he looked up at the boy. He went to crawl towards TK, but Yamato and Patamon intercepted him, standing in front of him. Davis got to his feet, lifting his lips into a snarl. "Paradise Lost Punch!" he shouted, slamming his fist into Yamato and sending him flying backwards into the opposite wall with a loud crash, sending the older blond straight through the wall and into the woodwork inside. "Paradise Lost Punch!" Another shot was aimed at Patamon, and the little Digimon cried out in pain as he hit the other wall.

"Fox Fire!" Garurumon howled as the blue flame exploded from his open jaw. He would have loved to evolve into MetalGarurumon, but torpedoes and missiles were too dangerous for inside an apartment. "Don't make me take this outside," he growled and took a step forward.

"We don't even have to," Davis laughed. "Deadly Roll!" He crouched down and rolled forward, slamming his legs into Garurumon's front ones, making the wolf-like Digimon keel forward onto his chest as his legs gave out from under him. "Paradise Lost Punch!" he then declared, landing a wild flurry of blows down upon the top of Garurumon's skull. Garurumon just took to lying down as the blows were delivered to his head. He knew he was too weak for Davis in this form. Probably even as MetalGarurumon he wouldn't stand a chance. When Davis finally let up, the blue and white wolf slunk away, barely holding on to the strength he had left. Garurumon pawed over to Yamato and laid down over his boy in a last effort to protect him. Davis grinned as he stood back upright, loving the sight of the mighty wolf-like Digimon simply slinking away. He then turned on TK, who was still holding his mother closely. "Move aside," he growled, cracking his knuckles.

"No," TK said firmly. "She's my mom, Davis. I won't let you hurt her."

"Then I'm going to hurt you instead," Davis answered, cracking the knuckles on the other hand.

TK turned Nancy's face into his chest in order to protect her. "Fine, if you really feel like that's something you have to do, but she's my mom. You remember your mom, don't you, Davis? Would you let someone hurt her?"

Davis frowned, letting his hands come to hang at his sides. "I don't care," he said blankly. Somethng seemed darker about his demeanor than the last time they encountered him. The dark circles under his eyes almost seemed to completely consume them.

"I don't believe that for a second," TK said to him. "Sons love their mothers, no matter who they are. Our moms raise us and take care of us and love us. You had a good mom, Davis. I know you did."

"I don't remember my mother," Davis said, wings rustling. "I don't remember her name and I don't remember what she looks like. So I certainly don't remember if she was good or not."

"Of course she was," the blond boy insisted. "Her name was Otome Motomiya. I met her at your funeral. She had brown eyes and light brown hair cut short around her neck. I remember her eyes were kind of far apart, but there was so much love in them." TK held his mom a bit closer. "She hugged each of us when we arrived and said we were good friends for coming. She was so happy her son had friends. She was the kind of mom who wanted only the best for you. She's the kind of mom who screamed and cried when the casket went into the ground. Even though your body wasn't really in there, she didn't want to see it buried."

Davis was quiet as he listened. His eyes were still lifeless of passion or remebrance. He only stared in an unnerving way. "Who she was doesn't matter now. I'm dead to her," he said, shaking his head.

TK frowned. "No, you aren't, Davis! Your mom never gave up on you, ever!"

"With her choice to stop searching, she killed me. No one would believe me when I said who I was. I was known only as the boy who died after being kidnapped." He started to walk across the room towards the other boy. "She gave up and killed me."

TK shook his head. "She never gave up, Davis! Your mom... Your mom never stopped looking, even after the funeral. She wouldn't believe it. I guess without a real body, she refused to believe you were really dead. The police had stopped looking for you, but not her. Your mom was out all hours of the day and at night searching. She would call us, asking if we had seen you, even someone who might have looked like you." Blue eyes looked up into those dark heavy eyes of his possessed friend. "Your dad decided on the move. We never told you because we didn't think you needed to know the details. Your mom was worrying herself sick. She was sleeping and eating less and less. Your dad didn't want to see her die, too, so he packed up your family and moved. He thought it would be better for her."

Davis' eyes seemed to widen at first. As he listened more and more, a sadness seemed to come over his then he twitched, groaning and closing his eyes. His wings flapped once, almost as if angry, and Davis opened his eyes into a glare once more. "No," he said, turning around and facing his back to TK."It doesn't matter who's fault it is. My family gave up," he said, before looking over his shoulder and adding darkly, "Just like yours did."

"My family hasn't given up on anything," TK argued.

"Except for being a family," Davis answered.

The blond shook his head. "No, we're still a family. We're just a different kind of family. I still see my brother and my dad. We all still love each other. We didn't give up. We just changed, that's all."

"Whatever makes you feel better," Davis said, shrugging his shoulders and turning his back again.

"But this isn't about me, Davis. This is about you and your mother." TK did his best to get back on the subject. He could tell it was getting through to his friend. He had to keep it up. "Remember... Remember all the times she kissed you goodnight? Remember all the hugs she gave you when you were sad? Remember how she would put bright colored band-aids on your cut and scrapes and tell you they were magic? She packed your lunch and made sure you had dinner. She came to all your soccer games and cheered the loudest. She sang to you when you couldn't sleep. She... She... She made sure there weren't monsters under the bed. She did all the things a good mom does, right? Does that sound like someone who would really give up?"

"Stop talking!" Davis roared, spinning around with his hands clenched into fists. He grabbed TK by his neck, hoisting him up and forcing him to drop his mother to the floor. "Stop talking you worthless son of a bitch!" He tightened his grip, but then grit his teeth and threw the blond to the floor, skidding him across the floor until he hit the wall. He then walked over to him and stood over the other boy, putting a foot on his chest. "Say one more word about her," he dared, starting to form an orb of pitch black energy between his hands.

But TK wasn't going to let himself be intimidated. "What would she think of you now, Davis?" he asked, blue eyes staring right back. "Do you think she'd be afraid of you? Is that what you want to be? Something your mother is scared of? You should be something she's proud of. Be the Davis she spent months and years looking for! Be the son she loves to hug when he comes home!"

"Shut up!" Davis shouted, lifting up his foot and slamming it down on TK's chest. "I said stop talking!" he growled, grinding his foot into the blond's skin as the energy in his hands grew.

TK gasped loudly and released the breath with a painful cough. He could feel his lungs being crushed under the force of Davis' foot, but he still didn't quit. "Don't you want to find them, Davis? Don't you want to see your family again? We can help you do that. You can put a smile on your mom's face after all these years."

Davis pressed his foot a bit harder, but the energy between his hands faultered. The dark orb disorted and wisps of it escaped between his fingers. "Last time I came here, everyone told me there was no way to find them," he said, his voice lowering a little bit in volume.

TK managed to crack a smile. "That was before the two biggest techno nerds we know came back to Japan. You... You really think Izzy and Willis wouldn't be able to track down your family?" His voice was growing hoarse and breathing was near impossible. "I bet they c-could find your family in... in a week. Tops."

Davis narrowed his eyes, but lifted up his foot, granting the blond a breath. He then put his foot down on the other side of the boy's body and leaned down close to his face. The dark energy in his hands dissipated as he brought them apart in order to place them on his chest for balance. "Can you guarentee that?" he asked lowly.

A deep breath was taken before the steady, confident words were spoken. "On my life."

Davis smirked slightly, nodding his head. "I'll hold you to your word, then."

When he saw Davis smile, TK allowed himself to do the same. "Hey, what are friends for if we can't help you find your mom?"

Something seemed to go off in Davis' head, and his wicked smile turned more into a confused frown. "Friends?" he murmured.

TK's own smile turned into a gentle line on his face and his blue eyes softened. "Well, sure. I'm your friend. We all are, Davis. Why do you think we've been working so hard to free you?"

Davis shook his head, breathing outwards heavily. "No," he said quietly. "I only had one friend, and he died. He was my only true friend."

"Would a true friend steal you away from your friends and family in the middle of the night?" TK asked. "Would a true friend torture you and give you so many scars you couldn't feel anything anymore? Would a true friend turn you into a mindless drone for their own amusement?"

"He did it so we could be together," Davis insisted, bloodshot eyes wavering. He narrowed them quickly and hissed, "Don't talk about him like that. I love him."

TK shook his head. "No... No, Ken is the one you love. Ken is the part of the Kaiser who loved you. Don't you realize that? The part of the Kaiser who did all those horrible things to you was Millenniummon. Ken loves you and wants to be your friend just like the rest of us."

"Ken..." Suddenly, Davis fell to his knees. He landed heavily on top of the blond, now kneeling. He moved his hands to the side, no longer needing them to balance. "You told me about friends. A long, long time ago," Davis said quietly. He hesitantly raised one of his hands and touched the side of TK's face. "When I was hurt. Why was I?" he asked in hushed tones.

The boy didn't pull away or even flinch at the touch. He just gazed back. "The Kaiser had kidnapped you. Did horrible things to you. From what my brother and I could tell, and from what little you would tell us, the Kaiser flipped out. He tore you to shreds with the shards from a lightbulb. He'd beaten you and raped you, too." TK paused to let all of it sink in for Davis. "Does that really sound like something a friend would do to you? I never would. Ken certainly never would either."

Davis was quiet, his mouth partially open. He breathed heavily, and his wings rustled as if impaitent, pulling at the scarred skin of his back and making him gasp gently. He swallowed, and hesitantly shook his head. "No... no, it doesn't," he breathed.

"Davis..." TK carefully lifted his own hand and touched a scar on the other boy's arm. "I know you're in pain. We all know. I know you might not believe it, but I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true. We all feel pain for you. Our hearts hurt watching you suffer like this. I cannot tell you how many times I wished I could have taken your place with the Kaiser. You never... never deserved that, ever. When you finally came home after all those years, all we wanted to do was see you get better. I saw these scars and I couldn't almost feel them, but I could never imagine what it was like to get them." His fingers gently stroked a particularly long marking down Davis' forearm. "Davis, imagine for a second how tenderly Ken could treat you. We both know how gentle he would be with your body. He would treat you with all the love and grace you ever deserved. You know that, don't you?"

Davis seemed to shake a bit as TK's fingers followed the fine lines of the scars that ran down his arm. He heard every word the other boy said like it was pounding against his mind, trying to break through to it. "I... I know that," he said, nodding slowly. A white feather fell onto TK's chest from the smallest wing that was left.

Blue eyes looked at the feather and then back at the boy. "Ken would never hit you. Ken would hold you and protect you. We all want to protect you. We protect each other, Davis. Ken is sick without you. He stopped eating and talking, Davis... He loves you so much he was going to let his body die when he thought he'd lost you. And you know... I don't know what I would do if you went away again, Daisuke. You're my best friend. You always have been."

Davis' face seemed to fall as he listened. And the further his expression fell, the more feathers dropped from the smallest wing. At TK's final words, he blinked a few times, tilting his head. "Is that true?" he asked, his voice sounding a little hoarse. The darkness in his eyes was clearing. A brighter brown was revealed under the shadowy black that had overtaken its color.

TK smiled. "Of course, Daisuke." He knew it might be risky, but TK decided it was worth the danger. The blonde moved onto his knees and his arms carefully slipped around Davis' shoulders, holding him in a hug. "You're my best friend in the whole world. I liked you from the that first moment I met you at school when I caught that soccer ball for you. I told you I liked your goggles, remember?"

"I do remember that," Davis said, sounding amazed at the fact. He opened his mouth to say something, but seemed to think better of it and closed his eyes, burying his face into TK's shoulder. Despite his dejected position, he did not shake or cry. He simply allowed TK to hug him as the feathers slowly fell off of his wing. "Thank you,' he whispered into the brightly colored fabric of the blond's shirt.

TK shook his head slightly. "I'm your friend, Daisuke. You don't need to thank me." Then he thought better of it. "But... You're welcome. Always."


	12. Replacement for Love

TK's message of friendship and devotion could only reach Davis for so long before Lucemon dug his claws in even deeper. No one saw him for days and his lack of movement made them all uneasy. After all, it's always calmest before the storm. The storm hit in a wave of strangeness and a slowly growing pandimonium. One day, churches started filling with people who seemed to be in some sort of tance. Their eyes would look to the sky as they mumbled that same prayer again and again. At first investigators thought it was a prayer to Lucifer, but when they listened closer, they heard the name Lucemon instead. Needless to say, this brought up a great amount of confusion. The chanting church patrons could not be moved or spoken to. One man had lifted his wife and pulled her from the church by force, only for her to wander back there. Only a small handful of people really knew what was going on, but that didn't mean they had been ready for it. The meetings that had once been full of conversation were, this time, silent. Though the group remained at spread out stations, they had agreed to come together at Taichi's apartment when something drastic needed their attention. Obviously there was no better time than now, but the children and Digimon all found themselves quiet and unable to add a single comment at first when they all assembled. "What... are we supposed to do now?" Mimi's voice finally broke the silence. "Innocent people are at an even higher risk... and now it's men and children too."

"We stop him," replied Ken, surprising a lot of them. While many of the kids had been away, Ken was getting himself to talk again. "He only has three wings left. I know it's a 'so close yet so far' situation, but we can't just give up."

Taichi nodded. "Ken is right. It's just like when we fought Vamdemon. Sure he had turned most civilians into drones, but we worked around that. If all these people are in churches, then we just lure and fight Davis elsewhere."

"That's probably our best bet," Izzy said, nodding his head. "But I'm not sure what we could possibly lure him away with. Even if we start fighting him and try to gradually move the fight elsewhere..." He frowned, crossing his arms. "I mean, we have to be careful. According to TK... he's got even stronger attacks now." He shifted his eyes over to the blond, who was staring at his knees. "Right?"

TK nodded. "Yeah, he had some pretty wicked moves. He kicked Yamato clear through a wall, and I'm pretty sure he was going to anihilate me." He shrugged. "As for luring Davis away, I think we all know how that can be managed." All eyes drifted to Ken, who may as well have had 'bait' written across his forehead.

"Is that r-really s-safe?" Wormmon fretted from the boy's lap, waving his claws desperately to try to get attention on him instead of his partner. "What if he manages to catch him and does something horrible?"

Ken gently pet the top of Wormmon's head. "It's all right, Wormmon. I haven't been doing much to help lately, and if this is something they need me to do, then I'll do it. Besides, everyone will be there to protect me."

Wormmon made a concerned noise, looking up at his boy as his anntenna drooped. "If you want to do it, Ken, I'll go along with you, but I'm still not happy with this plan."

"If I really get into any danger, you can evolve into Stingmon and save me," Ken said with determination. "I know you can do it again when you really need to."

Wormmon heard the determination in his boy's voice, but he still wasn't so sure. He hadn't been able to evolve since that one fateful day when he first did it. No matter how badly he'd wanted to, something had just never been quite right. He hated it. The only thing that kept him going back onto the battlefield was Ken's own determination that he would figure out how to become Stingmon once again, not to mention his urge to help and protect his partner, even if he couldn't Digivolve. "If you believe in me, Ken, then I think I can do it, too," he said regardless, putting up his claws like he was pumping excited fists.

Taichi nodded. "Great. Now we just have to get to Davis. The first church to have a chanting congregation was the Saint Mark's Church over on the east side of town, maybe five or six blocks from here. I bet that's where Davis is."

"That'd be my guess, too," Yamato agreed, standing up from where he sat. "We had better get moving. The longer we wait, the more danger those people are in."

The group was soon on their way towards the church. The roads and sidewalks were eerily empty. Everyone was either in the churches or inside hiding from the other people, as if the chanting trance was contagious. When they arrived at the church, they quickly found that Taichi's assumption was right. Outside, watching people file inside, was Davis, his three wings motioning for people to keep moving, his arms too busy being crossed to do it. Next to him stood Veemon, who was more interested in looking at his partner and discussing something without any feedback from the boy than looking at the people. "All right, Ken, you go over there and get his attention," Taichi instructed. The whole group was gathered behind the corner of a gas station just two buildings down from the church. "Tell him you want to talk, maybe consider going back with him, anything that will get him interested. Say you want to talk in private and lead him this way. We'll start to attack and move him further away, got it?"

Ken nodded. He had his brave face on, but inside he was terrified and almost felt like throwing up. One deep breath and a pat on the back from Taichi got his composure together, though, and we walked towards the church. "Davis?" Ken said rather timidly once he'd reached the steps.

Davis' eyes widened, then narrowed. He turned just his head, looking over his shoulder. He then turned completely. "What do you want?" Davis asked flatly.

"I wanted to see you," Ken insisted. "I thought we could talk. I'm sure you and I can work something out, right? I can come back and be with you again. You would like that, right?"

Davis continued to stare, and his eyes fell even more disinterested. "I don't want you," he said, his voice merely an echo.

Suddenly, Ken wasn't sure how to feel. Both relief and heart break filled him at once. Thank goodness Davis wasn't jumping at the chance to torture Ken in the name of love, but to hear this boy whom adored so much to reject him was also painful. "Well, that's just because you don't know what I can do for you," he tried to insist again. "I'll do whatever you want this time. I'm willing now, Davis."

Davis put one of his hands up, frowning deeply. "I said I don't want you," he said coldly. "Go away now, before I kill you."

"But, Davis, if you just give me a chance..." Ken moved forward, gesturing his open arms toward the other.

Veemon turned in an aggressive stance. "You heard him!" the blue lizard snarled. "Davis doesn't want you here! V-Headbutt!" Ken cried out as he fell from the air and landed smack on his back.

"Ken!" Davis yelled, lifting his hand higher. It seemed to shake, and he grit his teeth as he fought with his words. "G-go away now, before I kill you!" It was only half a threat. It was hidden in his expression, but it showed in his bloodshot eyes, that it was half a plea. "Go!"

"This is getting too dangerous," Kari whispered to her Digimon. "Get ready."

Gatomon nodded. Meanwhile, Ken was back on his feet, though a bit shakily. He looked at Davis, then toward the group, and then back at Davis. What was he supposed to do now? Ken swallowed. "Davis, let me help you," he offered.

"No!" Davis shouted, clenching his fist. "Get away from here!" His eyes snapped to his Digimon. "Veemon, get him away!"

Veemon ducked his head down and ran forward. "V-Headbutt!" he called and knocked Ken in to the street this time where the boy landed on his side painfully. Veemon stood at the curb, stomping and swiping his feet in a defensive stance.

Davis' hand seemed to suddenly break free of the fist he'd ept it in, and swiftly grabbed his Digivice from his torn white clothes, holding it out. "Holy Evolution!" he growled, turning Veemon again into the huge dragon, AeroVeedramon. He prepared to attack Ken, but Pegasusmon and Nefertimon suddenly swooped in, binding the dragon Digimon in their golden noose.

Ken pushed himself up again and coughed. He looked at the bound AeroVeedramon and then at Davis. Ken could tell the other boy was in pain. "If... If you don't want me, then who do you want?" Ken asked.

Davis' eyes seemed to waver, and he ground his teeth as he looked at AeroVeedramon, who was thrasing against the golden rope. He narrowed his gaze as he glanced back at Ken, seemingly confused by the question. Suddenly, his entire expression changed, eyes opening and lighting up as if a lightbulb had just been turned on. "Hikari."

"What?" Nefertimon gasped, but kept her hold on the noose.

Ken felt his chest tighten at the name, but he nodded. "If she is who you want, then..." He ran back to the group hidden in the alley and approached the girl. "Davis wants you."

Kari swallowed, her brown eyes widening a little. She took in a deep breath and nodded her head, standing up. "Alright," she said quietly. She stepped out from the alleyway, and spied Davis' wings fluttered when her pink shoes touched the pavement. She approached him cautiously, and he pointed at his Digimon. She bit her lip, waving with her hand for Nefertimon and Pegasusmon to slacken their hold on the giant beast.

Taichi ran out after his little sister and grabbed her arm. "Kari, no!" He looked at her with his own wide brown eyes. "We don't know what he's going to do. I don't want you getting hurt."

Kari looked back at her brother, fear and determination fighting in her eyes. "But what about what he'll do to all of those innocent people if I don't go?"

"Hikari..." Taichi pulled his sister close and hugged her tightly. "Just be careful, all right?" he whispered in her ear.

"I'll do my best, Taichi," Kari promised, nodding her head and hugging her brother back. It was brief, but it helped boost her courage even further. To know that her brother was watching from a safe distance was comforting. She pulled back after a few moments and turned, starting to approach again.

"Get them to let AeroVeedramon go," Davis demanded when she came within earshot. She stopped, lifting her head up high.

"You let those people go first."

"They're here on their own will," Davis said, leaning back and grinning as he now gestured to the building that stood behind him. "They come of their own accord singing my praises."

"False praises," Nefertimon hissed. "You've lured them here with your powers."

"I've done nothing of the sort!" Davis snapped, turning on his heel to glare at the Digimon. "You'd be wise not to make unfounded accusations! I can't do anything like that! If I could, I would have used them on you lot a long time ago."

"We know your true form," she said, just as snappish. "You can't pull the wool over our eyes, but these poor innocent people can't see the wolf in sheep's clothing that you really are."

Davis' feathers ruffled and a dark aura began to grow in his hand. "Say that again," he dared.

"Wait!" Kari suddenly leapt forward and placed her hands over his, making the dark energy instantly vanish. "It was me you wanted to talk to, r-right?" she said quickly, trying to keep her voice from wavering.

"Hikari..." Davis said quietly, brown eyes widening a bit. Nefertimon hissed again and was ready to dive in, but a tug from the noose had her turning to look at Pegasusmon. He shook his head and motioned to AeroVeedramon. He needed her help here keeping the dragon secure, so she was left just tensly watch her girl and this... demon.

"Um..." Unsure of what to say at first, Kari readjusted her grip on Davis' hand, placing hers on either side of his. "What was it that you wanted to say then... um... Davis?"

"Call me Messiah," Davis answered.

"Okay... Messiah. What is it?" Looking content with being called his title, the tanned boy actually smiled slightly.

"You're very beautiful, Hikari. You always have been."

"Th-thank you, D-... um, Messiah."

Taichi made a disgusted noise from where he was hiding. "That little worm. Who does he think he is, hitting on my baby sister like that? I should go rip those wings off myself." Ken just swallowed, feeling that little ache in his chest again. Davis started off loving Hikari. All those years ago. He might have even pursued the girl had the Kaiser not taken him captive. Now it seemed Davis was finally getting what he really wanted.

"Have you ever heard of Mary, Hikari?" Davis continued, his eyes seeming to light up further. "She bore the child of a god. How would you like that?" Kari gasped and suddenly let go of Davis' hand, stepping away from him quickly. His three wings stretched out to their full lengths as he stepped forward in time with her, almost like a dance, and wrapped both of his arms tightly around her waist. "Come on, Hikari," he begged in a mockingly pleading tone, leaning in uncomfortably close to her face. She pursed her lips and wanted to turn away, but one of his hands shot up to hold her face still.

"Kari!" Taichi shouted. That was going too far. "C'mon, Agumon!" he said and ran full speed from the alley. "Let her go, Davis!"

Agumon rushed out after his partner, prepared to fight. But as soon as Davis spied them, he spun Kari into his wings and wrapped her up in the feathery appendages. "One false move," he dared, putting up his now freed hands, ready to attack. "I'm not letting go of what I desire twice!"

Taichi stopped in his tracks and signaled for Agumon to do the same. "Your desires don't fly with me, Davis! Kari's too young to do what you want. You lay one finger on her in a way I don't like, I'm coming at you no matter what!"

"Was I too young at twelve years old?" Davis growled, his hands forming fists. "Apparently not. And if that's the case, then this is just fine."

"You were too young," Taichi said. "What happened to you can't be justified. It was cruel and too soon, but you don't want to put Kair through the same thing, so you, Davis? Do you really want to make her..." His mouth ran dry. "C-Carry a baby?"

Davis' brown eyes were cold and just stared at man across from him. "Would you rather I slit your throat?"

"Davis, please!" Kari begged, pushing aside feathers as she tried her best to break free. "Please, don't hurt my brother! Just... let's talk about this..." Taichi grit his teeth. As much as he'd love to run in and pummel Davis' face into the pavement, he decided to let his sister do this on her own. Kari was older now. She was a big girl. A teenager. He had to let her take care of herself. So Taichi backed up a few feet, bringing Agumon with him.

Agumon looked hesitant to back away, but when he didn't and Davis turned his glare on him, the orange dinosaur cautiously took a few steps back, too. Davis gave a snort, and finally uncurled his wings, letting Kari drop to her feet. "This had better be good," he said shortly. "Davis... you were really hurt by what the Kaiser did. I understand that... we all do..." the brunette began. An angry expression started to grow on Davis' face, and he opened his mouth to say something, so Kari lifted her hand and put it over his lips. That made them snap shut rather quickly, and the people that had been filing into the church suddenly stopped in their tracks. Ken watched as this happened. He couldn't believe it. One touch from Kari had reached so deeply into Davis that she hindered the trance he held over the humans. Ken would probably never be able to get that close to Davis. Maybe never again. He didn't notice his breath stopping in his throat, waiting for what would happen next. Wormmon looked up at his boy, his antenna drooping slightly. He could tell just by looking at Ken's face what he was thinking. "We... want to help you, Davis, you know," Kari said quietly, nodding her head at the positive response, that being silence and a blush, that she was getting from Davis. "He was terrible. You shouldn't have been put through that."

"Wait," Davis said quickly, shaking his head and his eyes falling to slits again. "Stop before you step over the line."

Ken ducked behind the alley wall. He drew his knees into his chest and put his hands on his head. "Davis does hate me..."

"I loved him," Davis growled. "And if you think insulting him is going to get me to stop, you're wrong."

Indigo eyes widned. "What...?" Did he really hear that right? If Davis loved him, then why was it Kari he'd asked for?

"But Dav-" Kari started. There was a loud, resonating sound of skin hitting skin and the girl cried out suddenly.

"Shut up!"

"Davis!" she gasped, putting a hand on her now throbbing cheek.

"He's rejected me already. Now be quiet and take his place! He'd never grovel like this!"

On Taichi's command, Agumon had fired his Pepper Breath. The ball of flame passed by Davis' head, barely catching his hair on fire. "That was a warning shot, Davis!" the older brunet called out. "Don't you even think about hitting Kari again!"

Davis suddenly shot forward like a bullet. "Paradise Lost Punch!" Agumon was nailed up under his jaw with one solid punch, sending the orange dinosaur skidding back against the pavement. Davis then did a flip, leaping back to where he had previously stood. "And there's my warning shot!" he snapped. Taichi ran to Agumon's side, trying to see what kind of damage had been done. Agumon seemed fine, but one more wrong move, and Tai's Digimon would end up an egg just like Joe's. "Deadly-"

"Davis, stop!" Davis' eyes snapped to Kari, but widened when he saw tears starting to shimmer in her eyes. She stood up and tried to wipe them away with the pink fingerless gloves she wore, but they were quickly replaced.

"Hikari... don't cry," Davis said shortly. But like before, his tone was a mixture. This time, between a command and a plea.

"Will nothing get through to you?" she whispered.

Ken was watching again, almost in tears himself. "You've got to reach him, Kari," the boy said in a voice barely more than a whisper. "You've got to push. Touch him, talk to him, make him feel human... It's what he wants..."

Kari swallowed, but stepped closer to the tanned boy and carefully put her hands on his chest. "Davis..." She sniffled quietly, lifting her hand to wipe at her eyes again. Davis' hand shot up, suddenly grabbing hers roughly. Everyone tensed, before Davis reached forward and wiped away Kari's tears.

"I'm... sorry," he said in a mumble of a voice. "For making you cry. You... I know you care. I just..." He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes. "I want someone beside me so badly." Ken felt his heart breaking. Was this his fault? He'd left Davis that night. Ken had abandoned Davis during one of his night terrors. Ken didn't stay and hold him, support him, love him. Like he should have. Ken started to cry. Davis was hurting and it was all his fault.

"Ken..." Wormmon warbled quietly, putting his claws on the boy's chest. "Ken, not you too..." On the other side of the wall, Kari and Davis had fallen quiet. She'd touched his wing, and a feather had come off in her hand. He suddenly jerked backwards, letting her fall unceremoniously on the pavement with only that one white feather clutched in her fist.

"Leave me to my work," he said quickly, lifting his hand to point at Pegasusmon and Nefertimon as more feathers started to fall. "And get them to let my Digimon go before I kill both of them! D-d-" he gasped quickly, shaking his head. "Do it now!"

"I let this happen," Ken cried softly. "I ran away. He thinks I don't love him..."

"Ken, that isn't it!" Wormmon said, tugging on the boy's shirt. "His mind is being poisoned by Lucemon! You know that!"

"Get them to let AeroVeedramon go!" Davis shouted, starting to once again build an aura in his hands. "Or I will blow up this church!"

"D-do what he says, Nefertimon!" Kari yelled quickly. They'd done what they had come to do. Nefertimon did as she was told, though she was not at all happy about it. She released her end of the noose and swooped down for her girl. Taichi was on his feet, waving his hands at her, wanting his sister back with him. AeroVeedramon easily shook free of the golden rope once the two had let go. He stomped both his feet and roared. He was threatening to attack.

Davis put his hand up, signaling for AeroVeedramon to calm down. "You all have one minute to get out of here before I allow AeroVeedramon to attack," he said darkly. A wind had picked up, blowing his feathers down the block. He shivered, and grit his teeth, but began to move his finger as if it was the second hand of a clock regardless. Taichi grabbed his sister up in his arms and ran for the hills with Nefertimon and Agumon right behind him. Ken was still crying into his knees when he felt a hand grab his wrist and pull him to his feet. Ken looked up to see Yamato looking back with a sort of pained, sympathetic smile on his face. Like he knew...

"Come on," the blond said quickly, starting to pull Ken along to follow the group as they quickly retreated. One last look back at Davis saw the wing boy watching the last of his third wing blow into the wind. He was looking on with a very mixed expression, so muddled with emotions that its true one was impossible to pick out. He then shook his head and went into the church, leaving the huge dragon outside to guard it.


	13. Running Out of Time

Two wings. Two wings. Never before did two seem like such a big number. Nearly half the city was enslaved now. Davis was leading them like lambs to the slaughter. Taichi knew Lucemon wasn't using them just to sing his praises. There had to be something deeper going on. No one else would say it. They were all sitting there in silence. No one would say a word. Like they didn't want to admit it was getting this serious. He would say it though. He'd say it to make it real. "Sacrifice a goat and you get the devil. Sacrifice a human and you get Lucemon. It's that simple."

"I guess so..." Kari murmured. She was still pretty shaken up from her encounter with him. She was curled up next to her brother, holding her knees to her chest. She was a strong girl, and she'd faced him bravely, but it all just seemed to rush to her head as real after it was over and done with. And it was just then that she suddenly realized how freaky it had been.

"At the rate he's going... we don't have much more time before the streets are completely empty and everyone's in churches," Izzy said quietly.

Taichi put his arm around his sister and held her closely. Next time they went out, he wasn't going to allow her to come. Kari needed time away from Davis. "Then we have to move fast. With two wings left, Davis is closer to being human now than ever. Lucemon's control is weakening. We have to go back to that church and confront him."

"Taichi..." Kari said quietly, touching her brother's arm. She could tell just by the look on his face that he didn't want her to go the next time. "Taichi, if I don't bring Nefertimon, Pegasusmon won't be able to hold back AeroVeedramon with the golden noose... I can't let you guys deal with both of them like that."

The young man shook his head. "Kari, no. Did you forget what he said to you? What he asked you to do? I won't let you near him again."

"I know, Taichi... but what about AeroVeedramon?" she said, eyes wide. "I don't want to go near him either, but... I don't want to deprive you guys of Nefertimon's help."

"Help her evolve here," Taichi said. "We'll take her with us. I'm sure she'll manage."

"I suppose..." Kari said, frowning a little and sinking back into the chair. "Promise you'll be careful, Gatomon," she said, looking down at where her Digimon sat on the floor next to them.

Gatomon nodded and put her paw on Kari's leg. "Of course, Kari. You know I'll come home to you. In fact, I feel better knowing you'll be here."

"At least Ken's back out there to take my place," Kari said, smiling gently.

Ken nodded at her words. "I'll do my best, Kari. I'll even look after Nefertimon for you."

"Then it's settled," said Taichi. "We head out in an hour. Everyone, do what you need to to be ready by then." The group dispersed to take care of each of their seperate responsibilities, and had soon gathered outside the apartment's front door. As they made their way towards the church, all of them watched the roads. There were barely any cars or people. It was like the entirety od Odaiba had turned into one big ghost town. They heard practically no sound until they began to approach the church, from which they heard a muffled song. There were so many voices that it floated several blocks down, entering their ears before they were even close.

Sora held onto Yamato's arm when the words started to become clearer. "I don't like the sound of this," she said quietly, her voice shaking slightly. Ken was holding Wormmon securely in his arms while walking close to the front of the group with Taichi. His courage seemed to be returning more and more each day. The desire and determination to save Davis was outweighing his fear and doubt.

"Look alive everybody," Taichi warned. Yamato put his hand over Sora's, patting the back slightly. His eyes were locked straight forward, determination clear on his face. Yolei swallowed dryly, fixing her glasses as a nervous habit. The song steadily became louder and clearer until they rounded the corner onto the block where the church was. Agumon put up a hand to get everyone to stop.

"AeroVeedramon's out front," he murmured.

"All right. Nefertimon, Pegasusmon, you two know what to do," said Taichi. "Cody, take Digmon and drill a tunnel underground up into the church. See if you can get any of those people out of there. I don't want you in there any longer than thirty minutes, though. Got it?"

Cody nodded dutifully. "Yes, come on Digmon. Let's go."

Taichi turned to face the rest of the group. "Be on your toes, people. Everyone evolve now. We need to be ready for whatever Davis throws at us."

Taichi's words were met with nods, and as Digmon started to work, the others Digivolved. AeroVeedramon's attention was caught by the drilling and the whispering voices. With a long growl, he started to stomp over towards the end of the block. Nefertimon and Pegasusmon took flight and went to wrap their golden noose around him. But AeroVeedramon wasn't going to fall for the same trick twice. "Dragon Impulse!" he roared, shooting a blast of energy at Nefertimon.

"Flower Cannon!" Lilymon was there and ready as well, using her own blast to deflect AeroVeedramon's attack.

"Cocytus Breath!" MetalGarurumon howled and aimed his blue fire right at the dragon. Even if he couldn't hurt AeroVeedramon, maybe it would give the others enough time to tie him up.

AeroVeedramon roared in pain when MetalGarurumon's attack hit. The other Digimon was a level above him, and proved to be one of his worst threats. "Great Tornado!" WarGreymon shouted, spinning and slamming his claws into AeroVeedramon's shoulder. The dragon roared again, turning his attack on WarGreymon. "Magnum Crusher!" he growled, punching WarGreymon with a glowing fist right out of the sky.

MetalGarurumon noted how affected AeroVeedramon was by his attack. Finally, he could be useful. "Laser Sight!" Four icy beams shot from his muzzle and hit around the dragon's ankles. In almost no time at all, AeroVeedramon was frozen to the pavement. "Now!" the wolf roared.

"Sanctuary Bind!" Nefertimon sang in unison with Pegasusmon. They formed the golden noose together and soon had AeroVeedramon tied tightly in it. "We've got him!" she exclaimed. "He's not going anywhere!"

Taichi took the opportunity to run up to the front of the church. He clenched his fists as he shouted, "Show yourself, Davis!"

Everyone's eyes were trained on the heavy wooden double doors of the church. A few long minutes passed and they didn't budge. Loud organ music continued to echo through the cracks, but the doors didn't open. "You called?" Davis' voice came up higher up, and eyes shot up to spy him standing on the roof, leaning against the walls of the bell tower.

"Play time is over, Davis!" he shouted. "Get down here! You insulted my sister and I'm not going to just let you get away with it!"

"Why don't you come up here?" he asked. His brown eyes looked at his Digimon. "AeroVeedramon, you may be tied up, but is that really stopping you from blasting them away from my church?"

Red-violet eyes looked up at the winged boy on the church rooftop. "It's eight Ultimate Digimon against one, Davis. Plus they have two Megas. I'm doing the best I can."

"Well the best you can do looks suspiciously like just standing there taking it right now!" he snapped.

AeroVeedramon growled. "Well maybe you could get off your damn pedastal and do some of the work yourself!"

Davis lifted his lip in a sneer, obviously not happy with his Digimon's attitude. Between his hands be began to create an orb, one that swirled with both dark and light energy. "Fine then," he said, standing up and stepping towards the edge of the roof, moving away from the bell tower just as the bells began to ring loudly. "Ultimate... Sacrifice," he said in a creepily calm tone of voice. The orb shot from his hands, growing steadily larger until it hit the ground, engulfing all of the Digimon in the street in its glowing, crackling depths.

"No!" Taichi's scream could be heard above the blast. When the smoke cleared, Taichi ran to his Koromon and drew his sister's Nyaromon in close. "Hey... Are you guys okay? I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

TK stood in horror for a moment. He was struck with the fear that he'd lost his Digimon for a third time. Already his heart was breaking, until he saw a little blue-white blob inching its way through the dust. "Poyomon!" he cried and fell to his knees in front of the tiny Digimon that he scooped up into his hands. "Oh thank god..."

Tsunomon used his horn to shift through the rubble. His red eyes looked around weakly, trying to find his boy through the dirt and smoke. "Yamato...?"

"Tsunomon!" Yamato had sifting through the debris, and scooped up his Digimon as soon as he found him. "Thank God you're alright."

"Poromon!" Yolei cried, picking up her little pink Digimon and squeezing him tightly. She pulled back to say something, but before she could speak, loud wailing cut through the silence of the street. The purple-haired girl looked over her shoulder to see Mimi hunched over, holding in her lap a green egg that she clutched tightly to her chest, bawling loudly.

"Mimi!" Sora ran to her friend's side. Sora was one of the lucky ones. Garudamon had been far enough away from the blast that she was only brought down to Biyomon. Sora knelt down beside Mimi and gasped when she saw the egg. She's never seen Mimi so sad, in so much pain before, and it brought tears to her eyes. "I-It's okay, Mimi. You'll hatch her again..."

Cody and Digmon came up shortly after, having been protected in the tunnel. Cody ran out to join the others. His eyes were wide with shock. So much destruction. Willis had Lopmon perched on his shoulder and Gummimon cradled in his left arm. His right was around Izzy's back, blue eyes trained on the little green Pabumon held in his boyfriend's hands. "We'll take care of him..."

"Ken!" A little green Digimon bounced up to his boy. Wormmon had been on the outskirts of the blast, like Biyomon, but it was still enough to bring him down to a form that Ken probably hadn't seen in several years, with tiny hands and what looked like a stem emerging from between little ears, and a body that resembled a pinecone. "Ken, are you alright?"

Ken sat up slowly, coughing, and then looked down. His expression was one of surprise and confusion. "Wormmon? Wormmon, what happened to you?" he said in a panic and picked his little Digimon up.

"That attack is super powerful," he murmured in his now high-pitched voice, ears drooping. "Everyone devolved or..." he looked over at Mimi briefly, then back at his boy. "This is my In-Training form, Ken. Do you remember?"

Ken thought very hard to remember his little Digimon's name. It had been a painfully long time since Ken had seen him. "Minomushi..." he whispered. "Minomon?"

"That's it!" Minomon said, throwing up his little hands. "I haven't been in this form since I first hatched..."

"Hatched... From your egg..." Ken gasped. "DigiEgg!" Indigo eyes looked up just in time to see Davis standing over a white egg with blue stripes around it. He recognized it immediately as Veemon's egg. Davis had killed his own Digimon. The very thought made Ken's blood run cold. To his further horror, Ken watched as Davis lifted his foot, ready to drop it down on the fragile shell. "Stay here!" he shouted at Minomon. Ken then sprinted forward and dove for the egg. It was wrapped up in his arms at the last second, leaving Ken's side open for the brunt force of Davis' foot. "Ahhn!"

Davis' eyes widened angrily when Ken got in his way. Without a word, he drew his foot back and kicked Ken square in the stomach, turning him over onto his back with the sheer force of it. He then went to grab the egg from him. "Spiral Twister!" As one of the only ones left in her Rookie form, Biyomon attacked in hopes of buying Ken just enough time to get up and run.

Ken coughed and sputtered in pain, but scrambled to his feet all the same. He ran as quickly as he could away from Davis and back to his own Digimon. When the green fire had disipated, it was Taichi's fist that next made contact with Davis' face. "You son of a bitch!" he growled, clearly enraged by what the boy had done. Taichi's fist hit Davis' cheek dead-on, but the boy didn't fall. Instead, he just turned to face him, spitting blood out of the corner of his mouth. He whipped his hand up and grabbed Taichi's wrist, tightening his grip dangerously.

"Ahng!" Taichi buckled slightly under the pain, but he regained his composure and glared right into Davis. "You just slaughtered your own Digimon! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I would say it was worth it, but..." Davis looked around at the kids holding their In-Training and Baby Digimon, and he sneered slightly. "More of them should have died."

Taichi shouted with rage as his free hand flew up and hooked Davis across the jaw again. "You should be locked up for what you did!"

"Hmph," Davis snorted. His neck cracked and moved at what must have been an unnatural angle as it quickly moved back into place. "It wouldn't be the first time, would it?"

"No," he shot right back, "but this time you would deserve it."

Davis tightened his hand again, threatening to crush Taichi's bones in his grip. Koromon's eyes went wide as he watched the scene, and despite the danger, bounced towards them. "Let him go! Bubble Blow!" he shouted, spewing acid bubbles from his mouth. Davis' brown eyes shot over to the Digimon and popped the bubbles with a wave of his hand, before lashing out and grabbing the Digimon by an ear.

Taichi gasped. "Koromon, no!" Brown eyes glared at the possessed teenager. "Put him down, Davis! Are you really going to hurt something that much smaller than you?"

"I will do it gladly," Davis said, starting to spin the In-Training Digimon around by his ear, before releasing him with a flick of his arm, sending the little Digimon careening into the building across the street. He brushed himself off before looking back to Taichi. "I will kill every Digidestined and chosen Digimon if you continue to get in my way."

Taichi watched horrified as his Digimon crashed into the building across the way and fell in a heap of dust. "Yamato!" he cried in a panic. "Help Koromon!" Bitter, angry sights were set on Davis. Taichi's fists were clenched as tightly as his teeth. "So, you're really happy being like this? You feel good about yourself, Davis? I can't be proud of a killer."

"I don't care if you're proud of me," Davis growled, as Yamato quickly sprang up to run to Koromon's aid. "You've only brought me pain and misery. And so I'll bring the same to you." He lifted his hand, now aiming for the spot where Yamato and Tsunomon were trying to see if Koromon was alright. The same orb of both light and dark from before began to form and crackle in his hands. "Shout out to them, and I will snap more than your wrist."

Brown eyes widened. Not only were Koromon and Tsunomon at risk of the attack, but Yamato was just as vulnerable. Taichi was a hero by heart. No threat was big enough to scare him into silence. His crest was courage, and he wore it proudly. A defiant glare at Davis was accompanied by his scream, "Yamato, he's attacking! Run!"

"Ultimate Sacrifice!" The blond looked up, his eyes going wide when he saw the attack aimed at him. He quickly grabbed up Tsunomon and Koromon and dodged out of the way, just as the attack blasted the building to smithereens. Davis' face cracked with anger, and he suddenly tightened the hand holding Taichi into a fist. The next scream heard was one of sheer pain. Taichi dropped to his knees, heart racing and sweat beading on his forehead. Davis let go of Taichi's wrist and lifted his leg, kicking him square in the back, so he went straight into the pavement. He then lifted his foot to stomp down on his neck, only to be tackled to the ground by Yamato. Davis gasped in surprise, only to roll over and deck him across the face, sending the man spiraling off of him.

Once Davis was back on his feet, Taichi's good hand reached out and grabbed his ankle. "Get out..." he groaned. His scraped and slightly bloody face looked up at the winged figure. "Get out of Davis, Lucemon..."

"Soon enough," hissed back a voice that was entirely not Davis'. "I'll leave this human to die and rot once my Digivolution is finally complete. Once I have everyone inside these churches, I'll destroy them and absorb the power of everyone inside. Then I'll get out of him."

"No... Now." Taichi struggled to his feet, gripping the front of the white clothing to pull himself up. "Get out of Davis right now. I have to take him home."

"Who are you to be making demands of me?" he snarled, reaching forward and grabbing Taichi's thick hair, trying to pull him off. "You can't do a thing to me. I can kill any of your friends... or even you... with one more attack. You're in no position to demand anything of me!"

Taichi hissed with pain, but he managed to open one soft brown eye and look into mahogany orbs tainted by Lucemon. "C'mon, Davis... It's time to go home. Come with me. Let's go home, the both of us."

"You idiot!" roared the evil voice. "Don't you think I took precautions against this after you used sappy emotions to take off my wings one by one?" His angered expression suddenly turned into one of glee, eyes wickedly wide and a manical grin pulling at tan lips. "Davis hates you now! He remembers nothing of your good times! Only yelling, insults, and abandonment!"

The broken young man shook his head. "No, no, Davis knows... Davis knows I love him. I told him that myself. You think he doesn't remember?" Taichi smirked. "Then let Davis back out and prove it."

"What sort of fool do you take me for?" Lucemon snarled. His eyes widened, however, as a second voice began to creep into his, echoing in only a whisper. "Get off me!" he demanded, now using both of his hands to shove Taichi's chest to try and knock him away.

Taichi stumbled backwards, but he just reached out again. His right arm hung limp at his side, some of the bones unwilling to move, so his left hand was put to use. "Davis..." Taichi gripped the boy's shoulder. "Davis, don't let Lucemon do this to you. You're better than this. You're not a punk, not a monster that belongs in a cage. You belong with me." He looked up, finally cracking one of his goofy grins he was famous for. "Who else is going to watch soccer games with me? Who else is going to eat ice cream and popcorn sundaes with me? Who else is going to make really inappropriate jokes at the movie theatre with me?"

"No! Be quiet!" he yelled, as the second voice became louder, starting to overtake the first. Davis' voice was fading back in, pushing back Lucemon's, but it was a hard struggle. Even if Lucemon's grip was becoming weaker with each wing he lost, the powerful Digimon's rage was enough to keep Davis locked in the confines of his own conciousness. He began to reach forwards, hands poised to grab Taichi's throat. But they wavered and shook, like a force was pushing them back.

"Davis..." Taichi reached for those words he spoke almost a year ago. The words Davis had needed to hear, but had come too late. Hopefully, it wasn't too late now either. "I know you probably think I'm mad at you, that I hate you, but that just isn't true. I'm not mad now and I was never mad before. I was frustrated, Davis. I was frustrated with myself. You tried the best you could in a really shitty situation. I was mad at myself for not doing more to help you. You came to me when you needed me most, and I fell really short."

Davis' arms and hands continued to shake, and he even flinched a few times at some of the other boy's words. He shook his head violently a few times, eyes closed. Then, they meekly opened. "Taichi..." Only Davis' voice escaped from the boy's mouth now, hoarse and shaking as much as his hands were. They started to move towards the other again, Lucemon's control on his body winning out, even if his voice was his. Davis' eyes widened when he realized what was happening. "Taichi..."

Taichi lifted both his hands. Even though it caused him excruciating pain, he took Davis' hands into his own, holding them carefully. "I know... I know... You'll be okay." The older brunet smiled. "I'm going to do everything I can to help you. Just know I still love you, Daisuke. I'm always gonna."

Davis' hands gripped almost violently hard onto Taichi's, but he quickly shook his head and they loosened just as fast. "Taichi... here," Davis gasped, moving his hands just a little bit to weakly gesture to himself.

Taichi nodded in understanding. He knew, thanks to Lucemon, Davis' memories were trapped in that jail cell. Davis wanted only one thing then, and now, Taichi was able to give it to him. The older boy stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the younger. Taichi pulled him in close, tucking Davis' head into his chest. "This is your home, Daisuke. Right here..."

"Taichi..." Davis seemed to sink into the embrace. He was quiet and still for a moment, but soon his shoulders began to shake under Taichi's hands. Suddenly, the older brunet would feel warm tears starting to leak onto his shoulder, soaking into his shirt. "Taichi, p-please..."

He shook his head this time. "No, Daisuke, I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to just give up on you." Taichi lowered the both of them to the ground, Davis cradled a bit in his lap. "Lucemon isn't here right now. It's just you and me." Taichi then started to rock gently back and forth. His mother had done the same for him hundreds of times as a child. Right now... It felt like it was what he should do. "Lucemon isn't stronger than you, Daisuke. Tell him he's not welcome. Not in our home. You don't belong to him. You belong with me and Ken and Veemon. Right here... In your home."

"N-no, Taichi..." Davis shook his head, eyes squeezed painfully shut. "It hurts... i-it hurts so badly, Taichi. I-I can't take it anymore... E-every time I-I get hit... and e-every time I a-attack... m-my whole body f-feels like it's on fire..."

Taichi shook his head again, tightening his grip on the boy. "No, Davis. Don't you know how close we are? You only have two wings left, Davis. Just two. We're so close. We didn't work this hard just to see you die. We're getting you back. You just... have to be strong. Wait just a tiny bit longer, Davis. Please, for me..."

"Taichi!" Davis' voice spiked to a feverish pitch, tears streaming out of his shut eyes. His hands grabbed onto the front of the older boy's shirt, pulling long wrinkles in the front of the fabric. His breathing was harsh and heavy. "I-it hurts so much, Taichi! I-I can't do it anymore... p-please..."

"Davis," Taichi choked. "Davis, you know I can't do that..." There came the soft sound of shifting rubble. Taichi looked up to see Ken standing over them. He held out the white and blue patterened egg, which Taichi took with a nod. He held it close for Davis to see and touch. "What will I tell Chibimon when he hatches? Who's going to raise him?"

Davis felt Taichi pulling something between them, finally letting go of his shirt so he could lean back and look at the egg. He swallowed dryly, his throat stinging harshly, and hesitantly reached his hand forward to touch the shell. "Chibimon..." he murmured quietly, only to close his eyes and bite his lip painfully, trails still shimmering down his face. "Chibimon will understand..."

"What about them?" Taichi asked, gesturing to the other Chosens as they had slowly gathered together and were now watching. "What about Ken? What about me?" As one hand still held the egg, the other was brought up to pet Davis' hair. "What am I going to do without you, Davis?"

Davis shook his head slightly. "I-It'll be just like before... All you'll need to do is..." He choked a little, biting down more tears. "Open up that grave again and fill it."

"No!" Both of Taichi's hands were suddenly gripping Davis' arms. "I'm not going to do that, Davis! Damn it! Don't you get it? We all love you and we're not going to just give up like that! Killing you would be the coward's way out, and I sure as hell am not a coward! Are you?"

"N-no, but..." Davis' eyes were shaking as he held back his sobs. "It feels like my hands are b-being torn off e-every time he makes me a-attack w-with that energy orb. I-it tears up my palms... Wh-when your Digimon attack m-me, i-it's like a knife to the heart and my head hurts so much th-that my half of it can't even think anymore..." He shook his head again. "Even if you get Lucemon out... I w-won't survive. J-just get rid of him now!"

Taichi couldn't stand hearing Davis talk like this. It filled him with so much sadness and rage that he didn't know what to do with himself. He started to shake the boy. "Stop talking like that! I'm not going to kill you and that's final! You won't die! If Ken could survive something like this, then so can you. You just have to hold on, Davis. Just do it! Do it for me!"

"Ken never got hit full-on with Terra Force or Howling Blaster," Davis choked. "Y-you can't... imagine... how much it..." He shook his head again, allowing himself to be shaken around like a ragdoll. But suddenly, his body went ramrod straight. He broke his arms away from Taichi, and his eyes snapped open, wild and fierce. He wrestled away, and his hands shot to try and grab Chibimon's egg.

"No!" Taichi knew immediately what had happened. He could only hold onto Davis for so long before Lucemon gained back control. Taichi just had to hope it had been enough to destroy that wing. "Chibimon isn't yours, Lucemon," he growled and pulled the egg away. "We're keeping him. Chibimon and Davis will be back together once we've gotten rid of you, and in case you haven't noticed, we're close."

"I'm going to kill him," his voice hissed. Wings rustled angrily, wild eyes narrowing with anger. "I'm going to kill him so this damn kid has nothing left to hold onto!"

"I'm not going to let that happen, Lucemon," Taichi replied, his voice just as dark and deep. Brown eyes caught a glimpse of a feather falling, followed by another and another. He smirked. "Besides, you're running out of time."

Lucemon's voice gave a gasp, and he looked over his shoulder at his own wings. The smaller of the two was starting to come apart. "No..." he growled. "Damn it!" Abandoning his restraint, he leapt at Taichi, hands aimed for his throat. While he knew it cause Davis just as much pain, if not more, Taichi had to do what he had to do. The teenager rolled onto his back and then thrust his legs forward, kicking Davis right in the chest and sending him back quite a few feet. Taichi then stood and moved away. Davis cried out in pain, but it was Lucemon who was growling as he scrambled to his feet. Being slammed against the pavement, though, had caused far more feathers to fall to the ground. He looked back at his wings, and his eyes shot wide with alarm. "Damn it!" he shouted again, turning a furious gaze on Taichi. "After I destroy these churches..." he started, before pointing at him. "You're going to be next." With that final threat, he rushed off into the building, feathers streaming behind him as he leapt over the rubble.

Taichi stood there for a few long minutes just watching the doors of the church. Adrenalin was still pumping through him, making his heart race and his breath heavy. After a while, though, he seemed to come down. Taichi suddenly became aware again of his broken arm. Pain exploded in the limb, his nerves becoming conscious once again of the damage. He was on his knees, the egg on the ground beside him, and cradeling the injured arm. Taichi looked at his swollen wrist, throbbing horribly, and all the dark bruises on his forearm telling of where the bone was cracked or maybe even severed. "Taichi!" Yamato was instantly at the brunet's side. Tsunomon and Koromon had bounced up to him, sweat dripping down the sides of their little faces. The close call that Taichi's injury had saved them from was still racing through their minds. "Taichi..." Yamato gasped, kneeling down next to him and biting his lip as he looked over the broken arm. He instantly waved for help, first to Ken to take the egg, and then to Joe.

Cold sweat was starting to drip down his own face from the intense pain, but when Taichi looked at Yamato, the pain in his eyes was a different sort. "H-He wanted me to k-kill him, Yamato..." Ken rushed over and took up the egg in both arms while Minomon hung on his shoulder. Joe was reluctant to leave Mimi's side, his girlfriend still sobbing quietly over Palmon's egg, but knew he was needed.

When Joe left, Mimi turned to Sora. Izzy was still occupied with holding Pabumon closely, silently thanking whatever diety would listen that he didn't have to see him in his egg. "I heard, Taichi..." Yamato said quietly as he ushered Joe over with another urgent wave of his hand.

"I... I couldn't. How could he ask me to do something like that?" Sora wrapped her arms around Mimi's shoulders and held the girl closely, letting her friend cry as she needed. Joe knelt down and took the arm in his hands. Ever so gently he palpated the area, trying to assess the damage, but even that limited amount of contact made Taichi gasp and cry out loudly, almost doubling over.

"He must... really be hurting. He wouldn't normally put you in a position like that..." Yamato said, taking Taichi's undamaged hand into his own, hoping to provide some small bit of comfort.

"He needs an x-ray," Joe said to the blond quietly.

Taichi shook his head. "We don't have time for something like that. Besides, the hospitals could be empty."

"Tai, all I can do is wrap your arm and put it in a sling, but that isn't going to be good enough. You need a full cast and I won't know the extent of the damage unless you have an x-ray done."

"We might as well check if any hospitals are in operation," Yamato said quietly. "But for now... can we go back and have you wrap it, Joe?" He then looked over his shoulder at the others. "Sora, Cody," he called. They were the only ones who's Digimon hadn't been forced to lower levels. "Can you guys see if any hospitals nearby still have doctors inside?"

Sora and Cody nodded. Sora passed Mimi over to Yolei before running off with the younger boy in search of an open hospital. Meanwhile, Joe was shaking his head. "I'm not comfortable just wrapping it. To put the bandages on and then take them off again is just going to aggravate the injury. We should wait and find out what our options are. In the meantime, let's at least head home. I don't want Mimi out here anymore. She needs to rest."

Yamato nodded his head in understanding. He carefully helped Taichi to his feet, just as Yolei helped Mimi up. The girl was sobbing loudly, holding the green egg to her chest. The walk home was like a funeral procession, loud wailing filling the dead, empty streets, and the children only able to set a slow pace that dragged the trip on to nearly double it's usual length. When they finally reached the apartment, Mimi's crying had died down to loud sniffling as she wiped her eyes and nose and stared down at the egg. She was sat down on the couch, and Izzy and Taichi beside her, Taichi's arm propped up onto the armrest. Koromon hopped up onto the table in front of the couch. "What happened, Taichi? Are you gonna be okay?"

Joe helped Mimi back to her feet. He knew she needed to be away from the others, just the two of them. They would get Palmon's egg set up beside Gomamon's where they would be tended to together. Taichi looked at him pink Digimon and managed a grin, trying to save face. "Lucemon broke my arm, but I'll be okay. It just needs time to heal."

"Broke it?" Koromon gasped, his eyes going wide. "Y-you mean like that time Yamato broke his leg in the Digital World?" The blond tried to lift his mood by laughing quietly and patting the Digimon's head.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Koromon," he said gently. After all, it was supposed to have been a secret back then.

"Can we use tools to fix it?" Koromon asked, his attention snapping back to Taichi immdietely.

"It's not that kind of broken," Taichi said, trying to explain. "Glue, hammer, and nails won't fix something like this. If the bone really is broken in half, we have to set it in a cast so the two halves grow back together."

"Ohh," Koromon said, ears twitching. "Well... hopefully it gets better soon," he said, frowning gently. "It must hurt a lot..."

Taichi chuckled. "Like a mother." Sora and Cody returned about two hours later. All they could report was that the hospitals had either been abandoned or were closed down due to the strange activities. Taichi was relieved he wouldn't have to spend time in a hospital, but now he feared what would have to be done instead.

"Come into the kitchen," Joe told him. "You too, Yamato. I'm going to need your help."

Yamato nodded, helping Taichi to his feet once more. Now it was just Izzy on the couch, and Willis quickly sat beside him. The three entered the kitchen, away from the others, and voices fell to to hushed tones, since there wasn't exactly much noise coming from the other rooms of the apartment to cover. "So what do you need to do, Joe?" Yamato asked.

"At least he's not hurt," Willis said quietly.

Pabumon sat contentedly in Izzy's lap, looking up at the boy. "Pabu... Pabu..." he squeaked now and then, as if trying to reassure his boy everything was all right. When he couldn't get a smile, Pabumon nuzzled his face into the front of Izzy's shirt.

"I have to reset the bone and then stabilize it. It's going to hurt. A lot. Taichi, sit here and put your arm on the table. Oh, and bite down on this towel. Yamato, I need you to hold him."

The edges of Izzy's mouth twitched upwards just slightly, and he reached with one finger to gently rub the top of his Digimon's head. "I just hoped I wouldn't need to see him like this again... the first time was bad enough." Meanwhile, Yamato bit his lip slightly. He knew this was going to be hard to watch, but he nodded his head and did as he was told.

Pabumon trilled happily. He even released bubbles from his little mouth, not as an attack, but just as an expression of joy. "He doesn't seem to mind," said Willis with a smile.

Taichi clamped his teeth around the towel as instructed and tried to brace for what was coming. Joe set out the two splint boards from his bag along with the bandages. He felt around on Taichi's arm for the break. "This is it," he warned. There came a sudden audible crack. Muffled as it was by the towel, Taichi's scream was still incredibly loud. He writhed in his seat and Joe grunted as he fought to keep the arm in place. "I said hold him, Yamato!"

"Well I do," Izzy said, frowning a little even as his eyes danced with joy at his Digimon's uplifting mood. "I'm not about to let Lucemon get away with doing this to him... to all of our Digimon." Eyes looked towards the kitchen when he heard the muffled scream. "And to the other kids, too..."

"I am holding him!" Yamato snapped back. He was truely doing his best, but Taichi was much stronger than he was. It wasn't a simple task to try and keep him in place. Tears finally leaked from Taichi's eyes. Deep, loud groans of pain muffled out against the abused cloth between his teeth. All of Taichi's muscles were spasming. Joe worked as quickly and carefully as he could, but that wasn't saying much. Taichi's arm throbbed against the boards and it was excruciating how tightly the bandages were being wound around it. Yamato wanted to say something, anything to make Taichi feel better. But when he opened his mouth, it just ran dry, and he couldn't muster up any words that would do anything to help. All he could do was lift his grip for just a moment to wipe away Taichi's tears before he went back to holding him as well as he could. It was so hard to see his boyfriend cry. Taichi barely ever cried. When Taichi was hurt badly, he smiled and laughed it off. Maybe he hissed a little at the pain, but crying... that was only for when it was excruciating. It broke Yamato's heart to know that.

At last Joe was done. The splint was in place. He knew the banadages hurt, but they had to be tight in order to hold the bone in place. A sling was the final touch, to cradle Taichi's arm and hopefully relieve some of the strain. The towel fell out of his mouth when it was all over. Cold beads of sweat rolled down the side of his face and Taichi was gasping softly, but at least it was over. "I'll get him some advil," Joe said.

Yamato nodded and watched as Joe rushed out of the room to go get the medication. He breathed inwardly deeply, pulling up his sleeve to wipe away the cold sweat and what was left of his boyfriend's tears. "You gonna be okay?" he asked quietly. There was no point in asking if he was alright, it was obvious he wasn't. But if he was going to be okay... that was a question that could ease his heart.

Taichi nodded slightly, but his whole body just sort of shook along with it. "Yeah... Yeah, I'll be okay." In classic Taichi fashion, he tried to flash his blonde boyfriend a grin, but it was broken by tired eyes and twitching muscles.

Yamato sighed, smiling weakly. It wasn't his best comforting smile by far, but it still worked well enough. He leaned down and gave the brunet a kiss on his clammy forehead. "You want to lay down?" he asked.

"Only if you come with me," he replied.

"Alright," Yamato said, his weak smile turning up just a little bit more at the corners. "Once Joe gives you that Advil, we'll go lay down."

Taichi nodded. "Okay." Joe returned with four Advil, which Taichi swallowed with great gratitude. He allowed Yamato to help him up and walk to the bedroom together. He asked for the blinds to be closed so the room was dark and cool. Yamato helped his boyfriend down onto the bed. He closed the door as Joe headed into the guest room across the hall to comfort his girlfriend. Yamato frowned gently, but sighed and moved over to the blinds to close them, as well. He then came to sit next to Taichi on the bed, brushing his bushy bangs backwards.

The brunet sighed and turned into the touch. "I feel like... a baby, Yamato."

"Like a baby? Why?" Yamato asked, keeping his voice hushed as he continued to run his fingers back through Taichi's hair.

"Because I'm so small and helpless in the face of something much bigger and stronger than me," he answered.

"We all are, Taichi," he responded gently.

"It's so hard, though..." Taichi looked up at Yamato with those sad and tired eyes again. "I'm not used to this feeling. Not in a long... long time..."

"I know, Taichi," Yamato sighed quietly, shifting on the bed to lay down next to his boyfriend, propping his head up with his elbow. "No one wanted to feel this again... especially not like this."

Taichi shifted closer while trying to be careful of his arm. "I was scared, Yamato. There was a minute there where I thought... Maybe I just should..."

Yamato bit his lip slightly. He could see the hurt and the conflict in Taichi's deep brown eyes. "So... how did you decide what to do?"

"I didn't want everyone to hate me. I didn't want blood on my hands." Taichi chuckled brokenly. "I was selfish, that's how."

"I see..." Yamato responded quietly, looking down for a moment. Blue eyes flickered back up, and he murmured, "Do you think the ends will justify that? I mean..." He swallowed dryly. "What if he's right? What if the strain is too much and he dies as soon as Lucemon is expelled anyway? You know that by asking what he did... he was trying to save all those people."

He blinked back tears. "I... I don't know. It's so hard, Yamato..." Taichi choked, trying not to cry. "It's too hard."

"Taichi..." Yamato let out a breath, sitting up a little and wrapping his arms around the brunet, pulling him close while being careful of his arm. "We're so close."

"But what if he really does die at the end? What if I've put everyone through all this hell when I could have put a stop to it with a gun or a knife from day one?"

"Who could have known that?" Yamato asked. "Do you think everyone would be more angry that we fought for a good outcome and it just didn't work out, or if you had taken what seemed like an easy way out and sacrificed Davis' life for it?" He frowned a bit, going back to petting back his boyfriend's hair. "It's better that we tried to do the right thing... even if it did mean some of us got hurt because of it."

Taichi wrapped his good arm around Yamato's waist. "I'm so tired... I know everyone else is, but..." None of the others had been faced with the question of killing Davis. Everyone had gotten through to the boy. Everyone had earned themselves a wing. Maybe it was selfish to think this way, but that was the human way. Taichi's arm was broken and he had to listen to Davis beg for death. "This isn't trying to decide whether I should pass the ball or kick it myself. If we don't make this goal, we can't just go get milkshakes and say we'll try harder next time. This goal means the world comes to an end or not. I just... I can't..."

Yamato nodded his head in understanding. It must have been hard. He didn't even have to try too hard, those first few wings came off with brute force. His struggle and Taichi's were worlds away. "Well... you did get rid of the wing, at least," he said. He couldn't think of anything more comforting to say. "Now there's only one..."

"Thanks..." Taichi replied. He appreciated Yamato's supportive words. "Hopefully Ken has more luck. I think it's going to come down to him."

"He's the only one of us that hasn't encountered Davis head-on, aside from that kidnapping attempt. But he wasn't even talking then, it was all Cody's work," Yamato murmured, nodding his head. "So you're probably right. I'm worried, though. It won't be safe." He frowned, looking down at his boyfriend. "Wormmon hasn't Digivolved once since he first learned how. Telling Ken to try and get through to him on the last wing... what if Lucemon attacks him and we're not able to help out? What is Wormmon going to do? He wasn't able to Digivolve last time Ken was in danger."

"You know as well as I do that Ken would face Davis naked and blind if he had to. If Wormmon can't evolve, then we're going to protect Ken as best we can."

"That's true... but what if Davis uses that Ultimate Sacrifice attack again? If our Digimons are eggs, we can't protect him. We'll be too busy protecting them."

"You know..." Taichi began thoughtfully. "I don't think Davis would use that attack on Ken. Even if it's not quite out of love, I think Davis and Lucemon are way too possessive of Ken to just destroy him like that."

"Who knows," Yamato sighed. "Lucemon tried to kill Veemon today. I wouldn't put anything past him."

Taichi shook his head. "Yamato... We both know Ken can give Lucemon something Veemon can't. Lucemon is a humanoid Digimon obssessed with carnal desires. Ken, well, Ken is weak. It wouldn't be hard to overpower him."

Yamato swallowed dryly. "That... would be horrible," he breathed. "We need to try and get Koromon and Tsunomon back to Rookie as soon as possible. I'm not going to send him in without as many Digimon as possible on hand to help protect him if something goes wrong."

He nodded. "Especially since Ken has been taken advantage of once before. To have him go through that again... Well, that just isn't something we can let happen." Taichi leaned against his boyfriend, settling in for the sleep that was quickly creeping up on him. "We'll train Koromon and Tsunomon first thing tomorrow after a big breakfast."

"Yeah," Yamato agreed quietly, nodding his head. "We'll do our best to get them back to Rookie as soon as possible... we're running out of Digimon and time."


	14. Lucemon

Light filtered in through a multi-colored stream of glass. Chips of color danced on the marble floors of what was once a house of sanctuary. Now, instead, enslaved chanting filled it with a haunting echo that reached the wooden rafters. Upon the altar sat a beat up, scarred boy, head in his hand as he looked upon the white wing that stretched from his back. His last wing. It fluttered and curled around his body protectively, and he could only let out a disgruntled noise, drowned out by the chanting of the people that filled the pews, coupled by the quiet trickle of water as it filled the baptismal fountain in front of him. He touched the edge idly with a single tracing finger, but then pulled it back, gritting his teeth slightly. It was almost time. Almost everyone in the surrounding area had migrated to these churches. He stood up, his torn white clothing rustling as he got to his feet.

They didn't bother to hide. Davis... Lucemon... would know they were there no matter what. They were beyond hiding anyway. There was no point in it. The Chosen Children stood on the opposite side of the street from the church, all in a row. All eyes were on the church doors, but no one moved. They had trained for this. Agumon and Gabumon were back to their Rookie forms, along with any other Digimon who could manage it. Even the newly hatched Chibimon was there; his conscience restored thanks to the gentle raising by Ken. "I want to go in alone," the pale boy said, setting Wormmon down on the ground.

"Alone?" Yamato asked, looking over at Ken quickly. His blue eyes glanced at Wormmon briefly, who looked away guiltily, and then back at Ken. "That's way too dangerous," he said quickly. "What if he attacks you?"

"Well I'm not sending any Digimon in there," Ken argued. "Not Wormmon, not Chibimon, not anybody. They've been through enough. I won't lose Wormmon. I can't."

"I'm not going to let you go in alone, Ken," Wormmon said, shaking his head quickly, turning to face his boy and holding his claws up desperately. "You're my partner! We have to work together..."

"But what if you can't Digivolve again because of me?"

"I won't be able to Digivolve again without you!" Wormmon argued.

Ken felt his heart clench. "Is Digivolving... really that important to you, Wormmon?"

"I want to be able to protect you, Ken," Wormmon said, his antenna twitching unhappily. "I want to be able to work with you like we did when we first met... I want to be able to prove myself to be a good partner rather than just a Digimon that tags along with you! I know I can do it, Ken, but I can't do it without you!"

Ken came down on one knee and lifted Wormmon up under his claws, drawing the Digimon in close. "You know you mean more to me than that..."

"I know that, Ken..." Wormmon said quietly, his antenna now drooping. "But that doesn't mean I don't still want to be able to do it. No matter what, Ken, I'm your partner, and there's no way I'm letting you go into any danger alone any more! You shouldn't need to face this alone... That's why I'm here."

"All right..." Ken nodded. "You'll come with me then, but stay a little ways behind me. I don't want us going in looking like a threat. You'll be there to back me up if things go bad, okay?"

Wormmon nodded his head quickly. "That's all I want, Ken," he said as the boy placed him back down. "I just can't bear to sit out here waiting while you go in alone."

The boy smiled. "I understand, Wormmon, and thank you." He scratched his Digimon behind the antenna before standing up again. "It's just me and Wormmon, though," Ken said to the rest of the group. "Even Chibimon has to stay outside."

"But!" the little blue Digimon began to argue.

"No," Ken said firmly. "I'm putting my foot down on this one. The more of us there are, the more it looks like we're coming to attack. We aren't doing that. Everyone has to stay outside until there's trouble. If I can get through to Davis, I'd rather do it that way."

"We're going to come to the door," Yamato said with just as much power in his voice. "We'll stay outside, Ken, but we're going to be as close as we can be without seeming like a threat." He looked down at Wormmon briefly. "Make sure to come get us immedietely if it seems like something is going wrong."

"Right," Wormmon said, nodding his head.

Ken sighed. "Fine." Before any of the others could say or do anything to object or change Ken's mind, he was walking across the street up to the church. He stopped at the steps, waiting for his Digimon to catch up, and then walked inside. The dull, eerie chanting of the people within made Ken's skin crawl. He'd been to Masses before, but this felt all wrong. Indigo eyes then landed on the shredded white figure sitting atop the altar. Davis had his knees drawn to his chest, looking like a small frightened child. "Davis..." Ken said softly as he approached the altar.

Davis' eyes snapped up to look at Ken as he approached. Wormmon had hung back, hiding in a pew behind someone's feet. "Don't come any closer," Davis mumbled angrily, lifting his hand up, his hand spread flat and palm exposed as if aiming it at the asile that Ken was walking down. "Or I'll blow this place to hell with us in it."

Ken shook his head. "Something like that isn't going to stop me, Davis."

"I'm not kidding," he said darkly, as the attack began to charge in his hand. "I don't know what you meant to accomplish by coming here... but if it wasn't to get all these people killed, I suggest you get out."

"What do I have left in this world, Davis? My brother is dead, my parents are dead, I have no home, no identity... If I was to die right now, nothing would change. For all these people to be killed would be a terrible shame, but... I'm not afraid for myself. The only thing I want anymore..." Ken finally made it to Davis, standing right in front of him, close enough to press himself against the attacking hand. "Is to be with you."

Davis inhaled sharply, his charging attack faultering. He pulled his hand back like he'd touched an unbearably hot stove and swiftly backhanded the other boy across the face, sending him skidding back into the aisle. "I said don't get any closer!" he shouted, leaping to his feet. Wormmon flinched from his hiding spot, resisting the urge to leap out to confront the threat. He knew there was nothing he could do right now, but watching this was so hard.

Ken cried out softly from the impact, but he didn't crumple up and cry like he might have in the past. No, Ken rose to his feet, ignoring the throb in his cheek. "I can't be apart from you anymore, Davis. Not even this much. I have to tell you that I love you. You need to know." Ken stumbled forward a little, gaining his footing, and suddenly wrapped his arms around the tan teenager in a hug.

"Stop it!" Davis shouted, trying to break away from the hug as soon as it started. The chanting around them suddenly stopped. The church went dead silent after the final echoes of the prayer had drifted away. Wormmon flinched when the person he was hiding under suddenly kicked their feet slightly, pushing him under the pew. "Paradise Lost Punch!" Davis shouted, aiming the blow to uppercut Ken's jaw.

Ken moved out of the way just in time to receive a blow to the shoulder rather than the face. He cried out again, his voice ringing loudly up into the rafters without the chanting, and grabbed his shoulder. "I'm not going to stop, Davis! Not until I get you back!" There were tears in his eyes as Ken grabbed Davis again and desperately pressed their lips together.

Davis broke away from the kiss as well, though his face was flushed and confused. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words surfaced, just a gasping of moving lips unable to create a sound. His voice was too tied up in a conflict for what was to be said for anything to be said at all. He shook his head violently as he pulled back, and dodged around Ken, attempting to make a run for the huge double doors of the church, as he once again started to charge his attack. Wormmon's expression became alarmed as he immedietely realized that Davis was trying to get outside the church in order to turn around and attack it. And if he went outside and saw all of the other Digidestined and Digimon waiting, they'd be in danger, too. "Moon Shooter!"

"Paradise Lost-!" Davis let out a cry of pain as Stingmon's foot hit him square in the face, sending him flying back down the aisle. He skid all the way back into the fountain that had been filling with water, his head cracking into the side of the basin before he fell to the ground, the water escaping and showering the floor and the boy laying upon it.

"Davis!" Ken screamed. His feet splashed through the water as he ran towards the other boy. Ken was at once on his knees and pulled Davis into his lap. Indigo eyes went wide when he saw the blood slowly dripping from the back of Davis' skull. Part of Ken's shirt was ripped off and pressed to the wound while the other arm held protectively around the limp body. "Stingmon..." Ken looked up with a tearful gaze. "Stingmon, what do I do now?"

Stingmon was standing stock still, and slowly approached the altar, red eyes wide. He hadn't meant to hit the boy so hard, but his knee-jerk reaction was to keep everyone safe at all costs. "I don't know..." he breathed quietly. Davis wasn't moving. Stingmon reached forward with his hand, to try and see if he was breathing, but suddenly the boy's chest began to glow a blinding gold. Stingmon retracted his hand back quickly, gasping as the final wing began to glow as well. It was broken down until only the light remained, and it shot into Davis' chest, fueling the light that was already there. "Ken, get away from there!" Stingmon shouted.

Ken felt a certain fear running through his veins. He'd read it once, heard it said by a man in green and white robes... The purest and most beautiful of angels was the most wicked. Ken knew the golden light shining now wasn't going to herald in a miracle. Instead, it was going to release the greatest evil any of them had ever faced. But as afraid as he was, Ken couldn't bear to leave Davis. Not like this. Not again. "Stigmon, I... I can't..."

"Ken!" Stingmon shouted again, reaching forward to try and grab his boy and pull him away. Two wings emerged first from the light. Golden feathers edged in blue. They rose out of Davis' chest, followed by a white, insectiod's head with glowing red eyes. Another set of wings, then another, as the creature slowly rose out of the boy's body. Its body was blue and see-through, like glass, and a pink light glowed from inside of it. It ended in a point, around which a light blue halo hovered. Six sets of golden wings flew it straight up into the rafters as soon as it was free, making the golden light die down and letting Davis' body fall limply down into the puddle of water on the marble floor. Stingmon pulled Ken back, even though he felt his boy struggling to get back to Davis' body. Whatever that thing was, he could sense it was dangerous, and he wasn't about to let Ken get himself killed by being too reckless.

"No!" Ken screamed with tears streaming down his face. He fought against Stigmon's hold, desperate to get to Davis. "Let me go! I have to help him! Davis! Davis!" Chibimon's ears perked up, hearing his boy's name cried out in such a horrible fashion. He at once began tackling the large church doors with his head, trying to get in.

"Something's wrong," Yamato said, watching as Chibimon rushed up to the church doors. He exchanged a glance with Taichi, silently asking permission to break their waiting and go help, before he rushed up to the doors to help Chibimon in, the rest of the kids and Digimon following behind him.

Even though the doors had only been opened by a crack, Chibimon wedged himself through. His big apple red eyes looked around at all the silent people who were just staring off at nothing. He saw Stingmon holding back a thrashing and sobbing Ken. Finally, he saw his boy's motionless body lying in the baptismal water. "Davis!" he squeaked in horror. Chibimon rushed forward and threw himself on Davis' body. "No! No! No!" he cried. "Wake up! Wake up!"

Davis didn't move. As the doors flew open and the other children and Digimon rushed inside, eyes widened and gasps rippled through the group as they too came upon the scene. "Move," a voice echoed from above them, drawing their attention to the cocoon-like creature flying overhead. The stinger end of his body was pointed straight at Davis and Chibimon. "Move or you will be destroyed along with him. And this time, you won't become a DigiEgg."

"If you're going to kill Davis, then you'll kill me to!" Chibimon barked defensively. "There's no point in me living if he's gone, but..." Reaching deep in hopes of protecting his boy one last time, Chibimon drew on his power of evolution, turning into a brand new form. ExVeemon. He stood proud and tall, head held high at the larval Digimon overhead.

"What form is that?" Yolei gasped, adjusting her glasses. None of their Digimon had ever reached their natural Champion levels before.

"It must be Veemon's normal Champion level... no Armor Digivolution at all!" Izzy exclaimed from the back of the group. Stingmon placed his boy down to stand beside ExVeemon, but the Digimon above them just laughed from within his shell.

"Congradulations on getting to your Champion levels, but I am a Mega level Digimon! Even if I am in my Larva form, Lucemon is still far more powerful than you!" he roared. "Parasite Stinger!" he shouted. Energy bolts leapt from his stinger, hitting Stingmon and ExVeemon and sending them soaring towards the back of the church. Their attacker promptly followed, his wings carrying him swiftly through the rafters of the church.

Ken gasped. He grabbed at Stingmon in some vain hope of saving him, but the giant insect flew right through his fingers. Not wanting to leave Davis unprotected, Ken lifted him into his arms. The boy's body was so cold and heavy. Ken feared the worst. He pressed his ear to Davis' chest and was able to hear the faintest sounds of a heartbeat. "Oh please..." Ken sobbed. "Stingmon... Vuh-Veemon... We have to help him!" Ken's wide wet eyes looked at the two Digimon. "Save Davis! Stop Lucemon!"

ExVeemon got his feet, fists clenched and his eyes hard with determination. "We aren't going to just protect Davis, Ken. We're going to protect you, the other kids, and all these people. We have to. You and me, Stingmon. Together!" Suddenly a white pin of light began to shine from ExVeemon's chest, radiating with a new power.

Suddenly, Ken and Davis' Digivices lit up, shining from within their clothes, screeching with the power of Digivolution. Stingmon and ExVeemon leapt into the air, and eyes widened on the ground below as it looked as if they were going to collide. They began to glow brightly with green and blue light, and when the colors hit, they melded together and turned an even brighter white. The whole place shook when they hit the ground, and the light faded to reveal one being. Blue skin and a body reminiscent of ExVeemon, with a long tail whipping about behind him and two sets of wings. But dressed in black armor, the same as Stingmon's. He lifted up high a red-masked face, and spoke in both of their voices. "Paildramon!"

"Wh-what just happened that time?" Yolei gasped.

"They Digivolved together!" Izzy exclaimed. His eyes instantly turned on Taichi, Yamato, and their Digimon, who looked on with knowing gazes.

"Another Digivolving trick," Lucemon snorted. "It won't save you! Parasite Stinger!"

"God Typhoon!" Angemon suddenly appeared beside Paildramon, spinning his staff and eradicating the energy of the attack.

"He Digivolved to his regular Champion, too, dagya!" Armadillomon said, his tail waving excitedly as he looked over at Hawkmon. "What about us, dagya? Think we can do it?"

"Well of course we can!" Hawkmon exclaimed and raised his wings. "If Veemon can do it, then you and I most certainly can. Here now, let's you and I just..." Hawkmon guided Armadillomon closer and then hopped up onto the back of his shell. "Double Digivolve!" he declared, flapping his wings energetically.

"I don't think that's how it works, guys..." Yolei said quietly.

"Aww, dagya..."

"Idiots!" Lucemon hissed, turning on Angemon. "Parasite Stinger!"

"Desperado Blaster!" Palidramon suddenly grabbed the two machine guns hanging off his hips and aimed them at Lucemon, firing a barrage of bullets at him. Lucemon's attack fizzled out again in the rain of shots, but the powerful Digimon shielded himself with the same purple shield Davis had used time and time again.

"They need help, dagya!" Armadillomon yelped, eyes wide as he watched Lucemon take another shot, this time hitting Angemon and sending him flying back.

"Angemon, I'm coming!" called Gatomon. She felt inside what she needed to do, her spiritual connection with the Digital World running far deeper than most others. "Hawkmon, evolve!" she shouted. "To your Champion form, now!"

Cody looked down at his yellow companion. "You too, Armadillomon. You can do it. I know you can."

Taichi then turned to face Yamato. "You and me!" he said. "Like before, remember?"

The sounds of Digivices suddenly powering up filled the church, echoing louder than any chanting had. Hawkmon lifted into the air as he Digivolved to his Champion form, Aquilamon, his wingspan stretching impressively and horns emerging from his head. Armadillomon began to glow when Hawkmon lifted off of him, his shell growing spikes as he grew huge in size to his own Champion form, Ankylomon. Yamato looked back at Taichi, nodding his head. "Right," he said, brandishing his glowing Digivice, allowing Gabumon and Agumon to warp Digivolve to their respective Mega forms. Palidramon watched this for a moment, and then took to the air, determined to keep Lucemon busy while the others attempted to achieve their own DNA Digivolutions.

"Sting Strike!" he roared, Stingmon's spiked weapons emerging from his hands as he attempted to shatter the evil Digimon's formidable forcefield.

"Aquilamon, with me!" said Gatomon. Just like with Stingmon and ExVeemon, Gatomon and Aquilamon began to glow with a pink and red light respectively. They collided into pure energy emerging as, "Silphymon!" Gatomon's voice echoed behind Aquilamon's. Her ears and arms could be seen, while his powerful legs and wings contributed to the design. Short brown hair stuck out from beneath a red and white helmet that covered his eyes, and there was chest and shoulder armor made from white, silver, and black.

"Whoah!" Yolei and Kari gasped, both stepping forward to look upon their merged Digimon.

Ankylomon rushed out onto the battlefield next, and was met by Angemon. Unlike the others, who's DNA Digivolved forms looked like a mesh of their original ones, they emerged from the union as "Shakkoumon!" It had metallic white wings on a shining silver body, golden designs adorning each armor plate. the Digimon was so massive that he only barely fit inside the church, the very top of his head scraping the high ceiling.

"Ready?" Yamato asked, looking at Taichi as their Digimon stood at the ready before them, watching as the other Digimon rushed in to battle.

Taichi lifted his Digivice. "Always."

Having done it once before, WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon knew what to do. Gold and blue lights of energy collided to create, "Omnimon!" He stood like a might white knight, his chest and legs composed of ivory armor with a white and red cap flowing out behind him. MetalGarurumon's head made up his right arm and WarGreymon's was on the left. The blue wolf arm was raised and the mouth opened wide. "Garuru Cannon!" Absolute zero blasts shot from the mouth and hit Larva Lucemon from behind.

The larva cried out with pain, whipping around to face Omnimon. "Parasite Stinger!"

"Justice Beam!" Shakkoumon attacked, red lasers shooting from his eyes and hitting the evil Digimon again. Lucemon tried to put up his forcefield, but the lasers shattered it. Lucemon's red eyes widened nervously, and he shot up into the rafters, with Paildramon and Silphymon hot on his tail.

"Top Gun!" shouted Silphymon. He cupped his hands together and fired a round of energy balls, destorying the beams so the Larva couldn't hide. Of course this sent the large beams of heavy wood falling to the floor below, crashing dangerously and splintering.

"We've got to get these people out of here!" said TK who was already pulling people two at a time towards the doors.

The rest of the kids nodded, all of them splitting up to get as many people as possible out of the church. The people were dazed and continued to stare at the now destroyed altar, but they didn't resist being moved like they had before. "Kachina Bombs!" Shakkoumon's voices echoed, firing clay disks from the openings on his waist.

"Desperado Blaster!" Paildramon shouted, shooting at the larva with one hand as his wings flapped furiously, trying to catch up to him with the other.

"Parasite Stinger!" Lucemon gunned down Silphymon, who crashed to the ground with a cry, but easily got back up and leapt up into what was left of the rafters once more.

"Cable Catcher!" Paildramon shot his claws towards Lucemon when he got close enough on wires, which wrapped up the larva Digimon aned constricted him tightly. "Omnimon!" Paildramon shouted, looking down at the knight-like Digimon as he reigned Lucemon in by retracting the cables quickly.

"Got it!" Omnimon threw his left arm out to the side, a long sword thrusting out from the dinosaur's mouth. He'd used it to kill an enemy once. Now he would do it again. Omnimon crouched low to the ground. "Transcendent Sword!" he bellowed and launched himself into the air, sword held straight out in front of him. The Lucemon Larva squirmed and writhed in Paildramon's hold, but it wasn't going anywhere. A sudden earth-shattering shriek exploded from the winged creature as the sword pierced its dark energy core. Lucemon's wings started to fall off one by one, golden feathers showering the now nearly empty pews below. The larva gave one last screech of pain before it shattered into pixelated dust. All of the Digimon hovered there for a moment, breathing hard and looking at the spot where the evil Digimon had been, now occupied only by wires and Omnimon's mighty sword. All of them landed upon the ground before splitting apart into their Rookie forms, all looking dazed. They'd won. The Digimon all exchanged glances of disbeleif, waiting for another to confirm what had just happened. It was Agumon and Gabumon who smiled first, which brought smiles to the rest of the Digimon's faces. They threw up their fists in victory, tired laughter echoing off the now destroyed ceiling.

All their partners came running in next, kids and teens alike, cheering for their Digimon. Those who could picked up their Digimon, swinging them around and laughing. Others held hands, dancing, or were patting head and shells. But there were those who did not rejoice. Veemon stood in the shallow puddle in front of the altar, looking sadly upon the image before him. Ken was huddled over Davis' body, cradling him and rocking back and forth gently, and sobbing softly. Wormmon noticed first, rushing up to his boy. When he left the group, the other Digimon began to notice, and their cheering slowly died down as they looked down the aisle at the scene. "He's not moving..." Patamon squeaked quietly, his large ears drooping down to the floor.

Joe pushed his way through the others. He was the only one who could help now. "Ken... Ken, you have to let go. I need to get to Davis." But Ken just shook his head quickly, clutching Davis' body even closer. "Ken, I can't help him if you don't let me." TK approached next. Even though he hated to do it, he hooked his arms beneath Ken's and carefully pulled him back. This just resulted in Ken screaming. He fought back, kicking and reaching for Davis, demanding to be let go. Demanding, pleading, begging to be with Davis.

"Ken, please!" Wormmon begged, putting his claws up. "Let your friends help you!" When Ken released Davis, he rolled onto his back in the puddle. He still didn't move. The color seemed to be drained from his face thanks to Lucemon having kept him inside, and his hair was soaked, sticking to his stagnant face. The others gathered around, some to help TK hold Ken back, and some just to watch as Joe knelt over the boy.

Joe pulled a small light from his bag which he shone in Davis' eyes. Pupils shrank, but the eyes failed to follow any movement. He felt Davis' skin and how cold it was. Next he drew out a stethescope which allowed him to hear the weak, lethargic beating of the boy's heart. "He's lost a lot of blood," Joe finally said. "I don't think his body was properly healing with Lucemon inside him. All those times we attacked him... We have to get him home. Right now. He needs to get out of these clothes, wrapped in blankets, and maybe try to get some water in him. I have a small, temporary transfusion kit back at the apartment. We may have to set that up, too."

Joe's words were met with only silent nodding. TK was the one who was elected to pick the boy up and carry him back. Veemon trotted along at his heels, watching his boy with worry and grief plainly painted on his face. The others followed silently behind. Their victory had been torn apart. As they emerged into the light of the outside world, they came to the sight of all of the people aside starting to look around and talk to each other, confused and disoriented, but overall, all right. Yolei stopped the group before they could go outside, and led them back inside in order to use a different exit. They didn't need people crowding them, asking them questions, or seeing the Digimon for that matter. Once they were finally out onto the street, the walk home was easy. The roads were still free of cars and the sidewalks mostly free of people, except a few staggering souls who were attempting to figure out what was going on. Still, it wasn't too hard for them to get back to Taichi's apartment without causing a panic.

Ken stumbled along with Sora's hands on his shoulders. He was sobbing into his hands, already fearing and accepting the worst. Taichi tried to help, but there was little he could do with his broken arm, and Yamato had to work to keep him out of the way. With TK's help, Joe got Davis cleaned up and dry, dressed in some of Taichi's flanel pants and a sweatshirt. Getting Davis to drink was almost impossible and Joe feared it would lead to choking before doing any good. He brought up the subject of a transfusion again, and Ken jumped at the opportunity. This was accepted. Joe had them both set up in Taichi's bed. With the help of a small pump and two tubes running between the boys, Davis' best chance of recovery was under way.

The procedure was allowed until Ken started to feel woozy. The color was starting to return to Davis' face by the end of it, but he still didn't wake up. The others stayed late into the day, but he didn't stir. Though reluctant to leave his side, the others knew that their families would be returning home and would need their support. Gathered in the living room, the Digimon and children shared a small silence. "So now what?" Izzy asked quietly.

"We go home to our families and leave our prayers," Yolei answered, looking at her boots. "We can't do much more."

"We'll come visit," Willis said to Izzy reassuringly and squeezed his hand. "We can stay at your place until Davis wakes up. That way we'll be here to see him. You know I don't have anywhere to be."

"Kari and I will visit, too," added TK with his arm around his girlfriend's shoulder. Patamon was perched on his head as usual and Nyaromon was held in Kari's arms, her tail swaying gently.

Joe nodded where he stood next to Mimi, both of them holding their eggs. "You know I'll stop by often to check on his progress."

Sora just smiled. "All of us will come back now and then. You know we will."

"And guys..." Mimi tried to be positive, putting on a smile when the others looked at her. "Even though this isn't what we hoped would happen... be proud. Everyone did a great job today."

Joe smiled as well. "You're right, Mimi." He leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek. Joe knew how brave Mimi had been since Palmon was sent back into an egg. Being that strong wasn't easy, and he was proud she'd done so well. The other kids gave their own small smiles and nods, affirming the greater victory they had accomplished. Soon they were all filing out of the apartment and saying their good-byes.

Taichi grabbed Yamato's hand just before the blonde could go. "Yamato, I know you want to be with your dad, and you should be, but... He's a pretty tough guy. I was wondering if you'd come back tomorrow evening." He gave a lopsided grin. "I want to cook a nice meal for Ken, but you know..." And sort of wagged his broken arm.

Yamato nodded gently, giving his boyfriend a kiss as well. "Sure. I'll see you tomorrow, then." He leaned back, laughing quietly. "I'd stay over, but Gabumon needs to sleep in his own bed... and I think your bed space is going to be full for a while." He squeezed Taichi's hand slightly. "Are you going to be okay?"

Taichi flashed a more confident smile this time. "Yeah, sure. Why wouldn't I be? The hard part is over now."

"I mean... taking care of them," Yamato said, frowning a little. "I don't know how Ken is going to deal with this, but... if you have any problems, call me, okay?"

Taichi laughed. "I watched my mom raise and take care of me for eighteen years. I learned from the best, but I'll keep you mind. No problem."

Yamato managed a laugh and nod. "Alright, Taichi. We'll see you later." With that, the blond retrieved his brother and Digimon, and they exited the apartment behind the rest of the group.


	15. Waiting for Him to Wake

"At daybreak the air beneath an entrancing sky rang with the sweet singing of birds. The cherry blossoms were all gone, and in their place a pale green haze swathed in trees. The party of his under the wisteria - it must have been at about this time!" Ken say in the bed beside the sleeping Davis. It had been a painful two weeks so far, filled now with routine. Ken would wake up to share breakfast with Taichi and the Digimon, only to go back to the bedroom and talk to Davis. He'd emerge for television and bathing, but never for very long. On this quiet afternoon Ken had decided to read to Davis. "Many years had passed since then, but what happened still stirred him. Chunagon opened the double doors to watch him go, and he turned back toward her. 'Ah, this wisteria!' he said. 'Where can it have got its color? Such beauty surely suggests a rare grace of spirit! How can I possibly leave?' He simply could no bring himself to go."

Wormmon watched from the doorway, prodding his claws together sheepishly. He'd hoped Ken wouldn't be so attached. He should have expected it, but he was silently hoping that Ken wouldn't spend so much time at Davis' side... only because he could see the heartbreak on his partner's face every night when the boy didn't wake up. He could see Ken smile with excitement when Davis made a tiny sound in his sleep, but when the boy's eyes didn't flutter, he had to turn away from the unbearable sadness that was reflected on Ken's face instead. It was a hard thing to watch. At least now, Ken's eyes were focused on the book, and not on the boy sleeping, unmoved, beside him.

"You see, Davis..." Ken began, showing the reproductions of the ancient and delicate illustrations of the story. "Genji had fallen in love with his stepmother, but their love is forbidden. Genji is frustrated because of his forbidden love to Lady Fujitsubo and is on bad terms with his wife. Of course, if you ask me, seeing your husband fall for another woman would make any wife a little testy. He got himself into the dog house that time. And to make matters worse, he also engages in a series of unfulfilling love afairs with other women. Can you believe him? He just doesn't know when to quit. That's his problem."

Wormmon made a concerned noise and backed up into the hallway, only to turn into the living room to try and find Taichi. The boy was watching television, with Agumon curled up comfortably next to him on the couch. With doctors back in hospitals, Taichi's arm was in a proper sling, but still needed more time to heal. "Taichi..." Wormmon warbled, tugging on the boy's pant leg. "Taichi, he's talking to him..." he said, lowering his voice a little guiltily. "Is that okay?"

"Hm?" Taichi looked down at the little worm Digimon. "Ken's talking to Davis? Well... I've heard talking to people in comas can sometimes help bring them out of it. Like their subconscious grabs on to the familiar sound. It's not like Ken is trying to have a responsive converstation, right? He's just talking."

"I suppose..." Wormmon said, looking over his shoulder back at the room and sighing quietly. "I just worry."

"We're all worried," Agumon said, tilting his head a little so he could see Wormmon over the edge of the couch. "That's just how Ken deals with it."

"Why don't you try talking to him?" Taichi suggested. "Ken adores you. I bet he'd tell you all about whatever he's telling Davis. That way, we can pretend Davis is still listening, but Ken isn't being... uh, crazy. I guess. If that's what you think."

"I-It's not that!" Wormmon said, putting his claws up, still looking a little guilty about talking about his boy behind his back. "I just... I worry about what will happen to Ken if Davis doesn't wake up..."

"Oh, that." Taichi nodded. "Yeah, then he'll go crazy for sure."

Wormmon's proverbial jaw dropped, his eyes going wide, and Agumon looked over at his boy with a frown. "Taichi, don't talk like that..."

Taichi waved his hands. "Okay, okay, okay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. Ken won't go crazy. Honestly, he's always going to be attached to Davis, but I think he'd eventaully move on to a healthier life style. He just... needs time to get over it. Davis is the only person Ken has been around for the past five years."

"I suppose that's true," Wormmon said. He sort of wanted to feel offended that he didn't count as someone to be around, but he knew that it just wasn't the same. He looked up at the boy, his antenna drooping a little bit. "Aren't you a little worried about that happening, too?"

"About what happening?" Taichi asked curiously. "Ken going nuts? No."

"No..." Wormmon said, shaking his head. "About Davis not waking up."

"Oh, that..." Taichi nursed his broken arm a little, looking down at his lap. "To be honest, Ken is probably doing better than I am. At least he's acknowledging the fact that Davis is in there. I... I've kinda been pretending this isn't happening. If Davis doesn't wake up, well... I'm carrying around too much guilt to face that possibility."

"Why do you feel guilty?" Wormmon asked, crawling up onto the couch's arm.

"I just... said a lot of things to him. Harsh things. I don't know what Davis remembers from before Lucemon, but for all I know, the last thing he remembers is me yelling at him. I told him I didn't want him back here. I was done with him. Humans say a lot of things in the heat of anger that they regret later on. I just don't want that to be Davis' last memory of me."

"Oh... I see," Wormmon said quietly.

"But Taichi... Didn't you talk to him? Without Lucemon?" Agumon asked. "When you got rid of the second wing... Do you think he remembers that?"

Taichi shrugged. "I really don't know... Even then, Davis asked me to kill him, and I wouldn't. Now he may never wake up. Kinda makes me feel like I should have just done it and saved us all this extra grief."

"Taichi..." Agumon said quietly, lowering his eyes. There was really nothing more to say. The Digimon couldn't agree or disagree either way, it just felt wrong to argue.

"A wine cup appeared from under the blinds. 'They say that once drink gets the better of a man, he can no longer keep a secret and courts disgrace. Is that your intention, my lady?' the Minamoto Adviser asked, declining it." Ken looked down at Davis. "That means he thinks she's trying to get him drunk so he'll say things he shouldn't." He then turned back to the book. "The Mistress of Staff picked up a gown and long dress and laid them, still sweetly redolent of their wearer, one on the other across his shoulders. 'What could these be for?' he protested, placing them over his host's in preparation for leaving. Then he fled, despite his host's attempts to stop him, saying 'I came only for light refreshments, and now look how late it is!' The Lieutenant gathered that this Adviser's frequent visits to the house must have won him the allegiance of everyone there."

From beside the boy, there was the quietest shifting of sheets. A tiny noise emerged from the sleeping boy's mouth, as if exhaling had given him difficulty. He shifted a little closer, but then fell still again.

Ken looked down at Davis and smiled. "Are you trying to bride me too?" he asked with a gentle laugh. He then started to gently pet Davis' hair. "Well, unlike Kaoru, I might not be able to resist. You'll like this next part... More than ever dispirited and sorry for himself, he murmured bitterly, 'Every one of them seems to have her heart to the blossoms here, and I wander all alone through the dark of a spring night.' His complaint roused someone within to reply, 'You will be welcome, even you, in your season: a blossoming plum offers far more than its scent to beguile the willing heart.' The next morning the Minamoto Adviser wrote to his host, using many kana as though he meant others to see it, too, 'I was rather rowdy yesterday evening - I wonder what everyone thought of me.' Along the edge he added, 'That measure of song I made bold to give you all on Bamboo River, did you gather from its depths the true bottom of my heart?'" Ken sighed. "Sounds like us..."

"Mn..." Davis made another quiet sound within his sleep, but this time, didn't move. The first week, he hadn't moved or made any sounds at all. The second week it had started. It filled Ken with hope, but the others were still worried. Wormmon, especially, knew that when Davis made sounds in his sleep while they were still in the Digital World, it meant he was having a nightmare, and none of them could know if they had left the boy, since they couldn't ask. The boy's Digimon appeared in the doorway again, still looking worried as he climbed up onto the foot of the bed.

"Ken..." he said quietly. "Ken, you've been in here all day..."

"It's a good story," Ken replied. "I haven't been able to read book in such a long time, and well... Davis is a good listener."

"I know, Ken... but you need to do something else. You can't stay in here all day," Wormmon said, worry obvious in his voice as he got up onto his boy's lap, between him and the book. "It's not healthy for you to just stay in here all day, Ken..."

"Oh... Well..." Ken looked down for a moment and then back up. "What else am I supposed to do?"

"Ken, you need to go outside... you haven't been able to in so long..." The little Digimon put his claws on the boy's arm, frowning in that way of his. "I know it's tempting to stay with Davis all the time, but he's not going anywhere, Ken. You haven't had a chance to really live, and I can't let you waste your life in here. You need balance, Ken..."

Ken bit his lip and looked at the sleeping boy. "But, what if Davis wakes up and I'm not here? It'll be like his nightmares all over again."

"He won't be waking up in the citadel, Ken. He'll be here," Wormmon said, shaking his head. "In a warm bed in a familiar place. Taichi's right in the living room, too, if anything happens... But you can't just sit here waiting for him to wake up."

He tilted his head slightly. "It's what I want to do, though..."

"I know, Ken... but it's not good for you."

"I can't just go out by myself," Ken insisted. "Nothing is the same."

Wormmon sighed, his antenna drooping. "I'm just worried about you, Ken..." he said quietly. "You can't spend the rest of your life waiting for Davis to wake up."

"Well... Will you come with me?"

"Sure, Ken," Wormmon said, nodding his head. "If I come, we can't go where there's a lot of people, but... we could go to the park or something. I just want you to get some fresh air."

"I want to go to the library," he said. "I want more books. Not just to read to Davis, but for me."

"Oh... w-well, if we're careful, Ken, we can do that," Wormmon said, nodding his head again.

"I can put you in a carrier bag," Ken suggested with a smile. "And we'll sit in a corner so people don't see us. Besides, libraries are fairly empty anyway."

"Alright, Ken," Wormmon said, happy to see his boy smile. "Let's go, then!"

Ken nodded. He got up and dressed in some of Taichi's old clothing. It was still a little big on him and the style really wasn't Ken, but it would have to do. "Wormmon and I are going out," he announced as he set his Digimon in the bag now hanging off his shoulder. "If Davis wakes up, call me right away." Ken said this while waving his cheap, yet functional cell phone that Taichi had bought for him.

The older male nodded. "All right, just be safe out there and be home before dark."

As Ken headed out the door and down the stairs of the apartment building, Wormmon kept his head poked out of the bag, ready to duck in if they passed by people. He was glad that Ken was getting out of the house. As much as he wanted to be supportive, he also couldn't watch his boy waste away at Davis' bedside. It just wasn't what a good partner would do. Ken walked down the street making zero eye contact with anyone. His social skills were severley lacking and it showed. He walked in through the doors of the library and inhaled deeply. "You smell that, Wormmon? That's the smell of paper, time, age, and knowledge. It's intoxicating."

Wormmon laughed quietly from within the bag. "What kind of books are you going to get, Ken?" he asked quietly, realizing that his antenna were rising up through the bag's zipper and quickly ducking them back inside.

"I'm not really sure. I love the classics, but Davis might like something more modern. I definitely want to stick to Japanese author's though. Let's see who the featured author is. Usually those books are pretty good." Ken walked to a table near the front of the library which had a humble set of books on display. "Hm... Ryu Murakami. Says here he's known as the 'Maradona of Japanese literature.' That's certainly interesting." Wormmon wasn't sure if he liked the fact that Ken was planning on books for Davis, but he decided to let it be. He'd gotten his boy out of the apartment and thinking about something other than the other boy waking up. He decided not to push his luck, and silently looked on as his partner went through the library, picking through books, reading backs and inspecting covers. It was something else for him to do, at least. Ken picked up a book with a somewhat cartoony cover. "In the Miso Soup. Twenty year-old Kenji is a Japanese 'nightlife' guide for foreigners - he navigates gaijin men around the sex clubs and hostess bars of Tokyo. Oh my... On December 29 he receives a phone call from an American named Frank, who seeks three nights of his services. Kenji finds himself closing out the end of the year accompanying Frank around Shinjuku, wondering if his strange, plastic-skinned patron could be responsible for the gruesome events recently reported in the news." Ken grinned. "Ooh, I love a good mystery. I always like to try and guess the ending before I get to it."

Wormmon lifted his head just enough to be heard out of the bag. "I remember when you would have those books when you were little. You used to always get the ending right." He trilled happily at the memory. "Sometimes you didn't even feel like finishing the book because you knew you were right. But you always did eventually anyway."

"Really?" Ken laughed. "I can't believe you remember something like that. Well... let's see if I still have it." He slid the book under his arm so he could check it out later. "Oh wow, look at this one. The guy is covered in ultraviolet paint. Let's see here... Hashi and Kiku, who were both abandoned by their mothers during infancy and locked in coin lockers at a Tokyo train station in the summer of 1972. Both boys become wards of the Cherryfield Orphanage in Yokohama, where the tough and athletic Kiku comes to the defense of the slight, and often picked on, Hashi. They are adopted by foster parents who live on an island. At the age of sixteen both move into a diseased urban wasteland named Toxitown. Hashi becomes a bisexual rock star, employed by an eccentric producer named D. Kiku becomes a pole vaulter and with his girlfriend Anemone, a model who has converted her condo into a swamp for her crocodile, searches for a substance named DATURA in order to take his revenge upon the city of Tokyo and destroy it." Ken pondered the book in his hand. "This really seems like something Davis would like. Outrageous and dangerous."

Wormmon quirked a brow. The book certainly sounded... strange. "It gives away a lot of the story on the back cover, doesn't it?" the Digimon asked, laughing quietly. "If you get it for him, don't read him the summary, or he'll know the whole plot!"

Ken laughed again. "I won't, especially if he's awake. You know how his attention span is." He looked around and spotted another section he was interested in. "Why don't we go check out the classics?" Ken wandered down the aisles between shelves, indigo eyes scanning the titles and the condition of the books. Suddenly, he froze and gasped. "They have a copy of Man'yoshu!" he exclaimed, earning a hush from other patrons.

Wormmon tilted his head to the side a little bit, asking in a whisper even though he wasn't the one that had been shushed, "What is that, Ken?"

"Man'yoshu is the oldest existing collection of Japanese poetry!" Ken said in an excited whisper. There are poems in here going all the way back to 327 A.D. and the collection itself was compiled in 759 A.D. I can't believe they actually have a copy!"

"Wow!" Wormmon actually popped his head out of the duffle bag to take a look at the book. "Is it really? That's pretty interesting..."

Ken took the book very carefully from the shelf. While it was in fairly decent condition, perhaps ten years old or more, he treated the object like it was the original. "It containes two-hundred and sixty-five long poems, four-thousand, two-hundred and seven short poems, one short connecting poem, one from the poems on the Buddha's footprints, four Chinese poems, and twenty-two Chinese prose passages. That's four-thousand, five-hundred pieces of poetry exactly. There's even information about our nation's history in these poems." Ken flipped through the pages and stopped on something he recognized. "Here we go. So listen, in 673 A.D. Emperor Temmu moved the capital back to Yamato province, right? On the Kiyomihara plain, and named his new capital Asuka. This poem was written after the Jinshin conflict of 672 had ended: 'Our Sovereign, a god, has made his Imperial City out of the stretch of swamps, where chestnut horses sank to their bellies.' Written by Otomo Miyuki."

Wormmon listened to this with a sort of confused expression on his face. He didn't really follow everything the boy was saying, he only understood that the book was impressive. His expression became happy, but not for the book. He was looking right up at Ken. "You're still so passionate, Ken," he said quietly.

"Who wouldn't be passionate about words?" Ken sighed and held the book against his chest. "You'd have to be crazy not to be in love with literature."

Wormmon laughed quietly, shaking his head. "Not just about that, Ken. About everything."

The boy blushed. "You're exaggerating, Wormmon."

"No, Ken," Wormmon said, still shaking his head. "You've been getting your passion back lately, I can see it in how you do things. You're stronger now, and you're letting yourself enjoy the things that you do."

"I've been given a second chance," Ken explained. "I couldn't stand to waste something like that. I just... I wish Davis was here with me. He deserves his second chance too, you know?"

"He was the one always telling you that you deserved a second chance, Ken," Wormmon said quietly. "I think he'd be happy just to know that you're taking yours."

Ken just hummed and looked down at the book. "This one, the two Ryu Murakami titles, and those three short stories I picked up makes six. I think that's enough for now, don't you?"

"Mhm," Wormmon agreed with a tiny nod as he hid back inside the bag. "That should be fine for now... we can always come back if you want to get more."

"We can stop at a convenience store on the way home," Ken said as he headed for the book check-out. "Sora gave me some money a few days ago. She said I could use it for whatever I want."

"What are we going to get there?" Wormmon asked, antenna twitching curiously as he rolled onto his back inside of the bag.

"Maybe some candy," Ken offered. "I haven't had candy once since I came back to the real world."

"Oh! We should get Chibimon some chocolate," Wormmon suggested. "He loves chocolate."

Ken laughed. "Sure, we can do that, and something for you too."

"If I did not care for you, who are as beautiful as the glowing purple of gromwell plants, would I dare to be so madly in love with you, knowing full well that you are another's wife?" Ken had read all the other books to Davis and had saved the Man'yoshu for last. The poetry you helped him feel calm and happy, but it was starting to fail. "The spirit having waned from the god of the land of Sasanami, I am desolated to see the old capital now lying in ruins." Ken always tried to make sure Davis was comfortable, clean, and had whatever water could manage to be swallowed. Since the boy had yet to awaken, even after another three weeks of waiting, Davis could not care for himself. "On the easter plain is seen a flickering of glowing dawn: Looking back, I see the moon setting in the west." Right now, Ken was sitting in the bed, reading and petting the bangs away from Davis' forehead. Wormmon had been successful at getting Ken out of the apartment at first, but with each day that passed without Davis waking up, Ken started to worry, and would not leave the other boy's side. "I would rather die with a rock for a pillow (while searching for you) on a high mountain than continue living (while waiting in vain) with so much yearning for you." Ken's voice choked slightly. He'd been yearning for months. Was his hope in vain, too? Maybe everything really had been too hard on Davis' body. Maybe he was just going to sleep forever. "I will live on and... and wait f-for you, even till my waving b-black hair turns... wh-white with frost." The words were becoming distorted and Ken realized there were tears in his eyes. His gaze broke away from the page to look at Davis instead. "You're never going to wake up, are you?"


	16. Walking Dreams

Like always, there was no response from the boy curled up in the sheets. Davis' sleep seemed to be deep and peaceful, and lately, he hadn't responded even to touches. His hands were balled up in the sheets and his head was tucked into the bend of his arms, his knees lifted up to his chest. He never rolled over, never yawned, never snored, never moved his legs. Wrestling the sheets out of his grip was always an event, too. His breathing was level, quiet, and just barely audible in the otherwise quiet room.

Ken set the book aside. He tried to smile when he said, "You know, if this was a fairytale, all I would have to do is kiss you. Then everything would be all right again." Ken leaned over to gently press his lips to Davis'. They were unresponsive, as expected. Ken pulled back with fresh tears in his eyes. "Only I learned a long time ago that life is anything but a fairytale. That's why..." The pale boy choked, trying not to cry. "I know you will never wake up. I did the best I could, but it wasn't enough. Like always." Ken turned to sit on the edge of the bed, back to Davis. He tried to stand, but he just flopped back down and started to cry in his hands.

Ken's sniffles filled the room until he deteriorated into complete bawling. The tears soaked his palms and dripped in-between his fingers. Every so often he'd have to pull his hands away in order to wipe his face dry, but he'd only take a moment before his face returned to his wet hands and he broke down again. He went on like that for several minutes before a hand suddenly touched his shoulder.

Ken flinched slightly. He expected it to be Taichi. The college student was always coming in and checking on him. Now Taichi was going to say it wasn't so bad, and... Only it was that bad. At least that's what Ken thought until he actually turned around and gasped.

"Hey..." The hand moved from his shoulder to his face, a worn thumb carefully wiping away his tears. Eyes that were tired but clear stared back at him, and the smallest of meek smiles played out across the boy's face. "Ken... why're you crying?" Davis asked quietly.

Was this a dream? Had Ken fallen asleep while reading and now this was just his deepest desire playing itself out? Or maybe he was so distraut with grief that now he was hallucinating. "Be-Because you won't wake up," Ken answered.

Davis frowned slightly, tilting his head to the side. "But... I did," he answered confusedly. There was a quiet shifting of sheets as the boy moved closer. "How long was I asleep?"

"F-Five weeks..." he replied. Ken lifted a trembling hand. He reached to touch Davis' face, but his hand sort of just hung, afraid to make contact and risk ruining whatever this might be.

Davis' eyes widened slightly. There were still heavy bags under them, but they were no longer blooshot. They were the same clear white and brown they were so many years ago. "Wow... that's a long time..." he murmured, his voice soft. He moved his own hand to touch Ken's. Their palms laid flat against either other. Davis' hand was wider, but Ken's fingers were long. The boy smiled weakly at first, but his expression soon turned sad. "Ken, I'm so sorry... for everything I did to you."

Ken smiled a little when their hands touched as well. It was the moment that made him realize this was real. Not dream or hallucination would be that warm. When Davis spoke, Ken immediately shook his head. "You didn't do anything, Davis."

"I know," Davis said, lowering his eyes to look at the sheets. "But... I still want to apologize." His fingers intertwined with Ken's, and he swallowed dryly. "The things he made me do were... horrible. And I did some pretty selfish and stupid things when he wasn't in full control, too. I'll just... feel better if you forgive me."

"Oh Davis..." Ken smiled gently. "Of course I forgive you. Do you forgive me? You know... as the Kaiser."

"Yeah," Davis said, nodding his head and lifting his gaze back up. "I had a long time ago... I guess I never got to really tell you." He laughed quietly, trying to regain his grin. "I guess, besides that one really short time in the citadel, this is the first time we've really met, huh? With both of us as us, I mean. It's... good to finally meet you."

Ken nodded. "You too." He unlaced his fingers only to take Davis' hand into both of his own. Indigo eyes studied the palm carefully. Ken could see a bit of scarring. Lucemon's attacks really had done some damage on the human's body. Ken kissed the palm delicately. "Does it still hurt?"

"A little..." Davis sighed, looking at his legs. They were still in the same position they had been when he was sleeping. "Everything feels tired and sore, but... not like before. It's much better than before." His shoulders shrugged as he chuckled quietly. "I guess all that sleep did me some good."

"Well... Maybe I can help. Let me get you a change of clothes first. You've been wearing those for a while." Ken went to the closet and came back with a dark blue, long sleeve shirt and some shorts. "Joe said we're supposed to keep you warm, but I think these will be fine." He helped Davis out of the old shirt first. Before putting the new one on, Ken settled himself behind Davis and began using his slender hands to very carefully massage his shoulders.

Davis sighed happily, letting his shoulders droop and relax contentedly into the massage. He began to look around the room, idly rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Hey... are we in... Taichi's house?" he asked quietly.

Ken nodded. "Mhm. He's been really nice and let us stay here. I felt kind of bad for taking his bed since his arm is broken and everything, but he insisted."

"Arm is... oh..." Davis hung his head again. "Right... It's still broken, huh?"

"It's actually gotten a lot better," Ken assured Davis. "The cast actually comes off this weekend, and all he has to do after that is where an arm brace for a month." His fingers moved to Davis' back, working along the spine and shoulder blades.

"I still can't believe I broke it," Davis murmured, shaking his head slightly. Suddenly, he hissed. His back arched a little when Ken touched it, and his shoulders practically spasmed when Ken touched the blades. "Not... not there," he breathed, inching away from the other boy's hands. "My back still hurts... from where the wings were."

Ken at once drew his hand back. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" He hesitated a little, but then put his hands back on Davis' shoulders, working them gently. "Could you hear me, Davis?"

"When?" Davis asked, reaching around his back to slide his hand up into his pajama shirt. There was bandages there covering the wounds where the wings had been torn away. The boy let forth a relieved sigh before folding his hands back on his lap.

"While you were out... asleep all this time." Ken squeezed the tense muscles carefully. "Could you ever hear me? I was just wondering..."

"I think so, but..." Davis laughed quietly, bringing his hands together in oder to press his thumbs against each other. "I didn't understand much of what was being said. I just sort of heard sounds... The only thing I recognized..." He frowned slightly, looking over his shoulder. "Was when you started crying..."

Ken let his hands fall away this time and looked down at his lap. "Oh... I'm sorry that was the first thing you had to see and hear. Waking up should have been much happier for you, Davis."

"No, it's okay," Davis said, shaking his head. He turned around on the mattress, reaching a hand forward to slide under Ken's chin, lifting his face up again. "I'm just... so glad I'm getting to see you again at all."

"Davis... Can I tell you something?" Indigo eyes met mahogany. "It's been a long time coming, and if I don't say it now... There won't be a right time for it again."

"What is it, Ken?"

"I... I love you, Davis," Ken said with a small smile and a tiny shrug of his shoulders. "I love you."

Brown eyes widened, and seemed to suddenly well up with tears. "Ken..." Davis moved his hand away, just to wrap his arms around Ken and pull himself close quickly, burying his face in the crook of Ken's neck. "I-I love you too... A-and I missed you so much..."

Ken gasped softly, but only because he hadn't expected Davis to latch on like that. Although the smile quickly reappeared and Ken wrapped his arms around Davis as well, petting short cinnamon colored hair. "Oh, Davis. I missed you too," he said, touching cheek to temple. "It's okay now, though. We can finally be together and happy."

Davis answered only by nodding his head, face still hidden. He sat there for a long while, just holding onto Ken and enjoying being held in his arms. After a while, he pulled back just a little bit in order to wipe his eyes dry with his sleeve. "Is... is anyone else here, Ken?" he asked quietly.

"Taichi is out coaching summer little league. He picked up the job a while ago. He always takes Agumon to Yamato's if he's going to be out. Although..." Ken looked at the closed door and then back at Davis. "There is someone who would really like to see you, if you're ready to see them."

Davis opened his mouth to ask who, but then his face fell. He knew exactly who. "I was so terrible to him," he said quietly. "Probably... the worst. He had to deal with me like that all the time. And then..." He swallowed dryly. "Is he okay now?"

"You know... surprisingly enough, he really stuck by and supported you. Wormmon never approved of what I was doing, but Veemon really seemed to understand and appreciate your... Lucemon's... vision." Ken touched Davis' hand. "He's all better now, though. I hatched him new and raised him myself. Do you want to see him?"

Davis still looked guilty. The fact that he'd watched himself kill his own Digimon had weighed heavily on him since it had happened. But he couldn't not see him. He wanted to see Chibimon so badly. He lifted his head up, nodding meekly. "Y-yeah, yeah, I do..."

Ken nodded in return. "Wait right here." He got up and left the bedroom for only a few seconds before coming back in.

"What do you want me to see?" Chibimon asked from where he was held in Ken's arms. Of course his own question was answered when big candy red eyes landed on his boy, now awake, in the bed.

Davis had inched back towards the headboard to lay against it, but sat back upright when Ken brought Chibimon into the room. He looked back at his Digimon for a quiet moment, very hesitantly reaching out towards him. "Chibimon..."

Chibimon blinked once or twice, almost like he didn't know what he was looking at, but then the biggest smile opened on his little white face. "Davis!" he exclaimed happily and jumped from Ken's arms. Chibimon flew through the air and latched himself right over Davis' face. "You're awake! You're all better now! I'm so happy!" His tiny pink tongue started leaving little puppy-like kisses above his boy's eye.

Davis had looked uncharacteristically worried when the Digimon stared at him, holding out his arms but feeling like he so badly wanted to pull them back and wrap them around himself. But when Chibimon called his name and took that leap at him, a smile spread across his face, and he started to laugh when Chibimon started to lick him affectionately. He lifted his hands to peel the Digimon off his face, only to hold him tightly to his chest. "Chibimon... I'm so glad you're okay," he laughed, nuzzling the top of his Digimon's head.

"Of course I'm okay!" Chibimon said. "I just have to go inside my egg to get all better. I was worried about you. You don't have an egg!" He looked at the boy in an adorably critical manner. "You really should think about getting one, Davis."

Davis' smile grew, and he laughed, laying back on the bed and holding the Digimon up over him. "Alright, Chibimon, I'll consider it," he said as he lowered and raised the Digimon in the air above him.

Chibimon laughed excitedly, wriggling and squirming happily. He stuck his arms out on either side of his body and puckered his lips together. "Pppppbrr... Pppbbrrrrr... Ppbbbbrr... Ppbr... Ppppbbbrrrrrr..."

Davis laughed again, tossing the Digimon up a little bit before catching him close to his chest again. "You're never gonna leave me again, Chibimon. I'm gonna make sure no one puts you back in an egg again. Not me, not anyone else."

"That's migthy nice of you, Davis. And what about Ken?" Chibimon looked over his shoulder at the pale boy who had been quietly standing against the wall. "Does he get to stay, too?"

Davis started to pet back Chibimon's ears, and looked surprised at the question. "Ken?" he asked, looking up at the boy. "Well... o-of course Ken gets to stay. Why wouldn't he?"

"You were really mad at him before," Chibimon explained, though he probably didn't need to or should. "Remember when I wanted to fight with him, and you said I could if I just waited my turn? You were pretty mad that day. I mean, Ken is really super nice now, and I like him. I just didn't know how you felt." Candy red eyes turned back on the tan boy. "Since he still did all those mean things to you all that time." Ken felt his heart clench. They had forgiven each other, but to hear Chibimon actually say it... Ken moved away from the wall rather suddenly and hurried to the laundry room instead.

Davis' eyes widened at the words, and he watched as Ken ran off. His face fell, and he frowned slightly as he looked back down at the Digimon. "Yeah, you're right, Chibimon... Back then, we both did some horrible things. But that was when we were being controlled... I did some bad things, and he did too. But neither of us are anymore. There's no need to bring up the past ever again."

"I'm sorry..." Chibimon's ears drooped. "I didn't mean it like that."

"It's okay, Chibimon," Davis said, placing the Digimon down as he tried to get out of bed. He swung his legs over the edge and placed his feet down, and then went to stand. He stumbled at first, his legs nearly giving out underneath him. He had to grab onto the headboard in order to keep from falling. "Damn it..." he groaned, turning his eyes on his Digimon. "You need to... Who you need to apologize to is Ken..."

Chibimon nodded his head frantically. "I will! I will! Just stay in bed, okay? You aren't strong enough to be up yet."

"Damn," Davis breathed again, as he carefully fell back onto the bed. He didn't like the feeling of being helpless, but he supposed there was nothing he could do. "Just go apologize, Chibimon, okay?"

"Okay, I'm going." Chibimon hopped down off the bed and went to find Ken. When he did locate the boy, Ken was folding laundry. "Hey... Ken? I'm sorry about before..."

Ken looked down at the little blue Digimon. "I get that you're still mad at me Chibimon, but you know I regret all of those things."

Chibimon waved his paws. "But I'm not mad at you! I didn't mean it like that, really! The stuff I said just came out the wrong way. I want you to stay with us."

"Really?" Ken asked softly.

"Of course! You make Davis happy," he replied. "To not let you stay would be crazy."

Ken smiled at Chibimon and knelt down to pet him on the head. "Thank you, Chibimon. I appreciate that."

"No problem!" Chibimon purred.

Ken returned to Davis' room after finishing the laundry. Chibimon decided to stay out and be with Wormmon instead. Ken came in, closing the door behind him, and leaned on it. "He's just like you, you know..."

Davis had tried to stand up again, but for a second time, it ended in failure. Ken came into the room just as Davis was easing himself back onto the bed, holding onto the headboard for support. "Yeah?" he asked, letting out a thankful breath as he sat down on the edge of the mattress, taking the pressure off his legs. "Like how?"

"He talks with his foot in his mouth more often than he should," Ken answered with a little laugh. He moved to the bed and helped get Davis settled back in. "But is as equally sweet when he tries to fix what he said."

"Yeah, I guess he does," Davis said, laughing gently. He scratched at the back of his head, letting out another long breath. "He wasn't meant to be my partner first, though, huh?"

Ken shook his head. "Chibimon was always meant to be yours, Davis. What happened between him and Ryo, that was a case of emergency. The fact that Veemon went back to sleep in order to wait for you proves whose partner he really is."

"You think so?" Davis asked. He moved back on the bed a bit so that his feet weren't touching the floor anymore. "When he saw him... Veemon was so excited. Ryo almost completely snapped Veemon out of it. Veemon got so choked up that he had to leave the room... which is how Cupimon got in afterwards. They just still seemed to have a connection... and even then, he worked together so well with his other Digimon." Davis looked pensive for a moment, but then shook his head and managed a laugh. "He's skilled, huh?"

"That's always been Ryo," Ken explained. "We were friends as kids. He was amazing at everything. All that aside though, Davis, you know Veemon would never go back to Ryo. He's finally found the person he's meant for. You have a few good memories with the Kasier, but does that mean you'd go back to him?"

Davis shook his head quickly, eyes wide. "No, no... But, like... Ryo didn't ever hurt Veemon, did he? He seemed like a pretty good guy, so I don't think that's a good comparison..." He smiled though, nodding his head. "But I get what you're saying."

"Good." Ken sat there, smiling gently at Davis for a few minutes. Finally things felt calm, good, and right. Ken leaned forward and gave Davis a kiss on the cheek, followed by one on his forehead, under his eye, on his jaw... Soon Ken had laced his arms around Davis' shoulders and was leaning against his chest, softly kissing his neck. Davis' eyes closed when Ken started the kisses, a smile gently curving across his face. He'd yearned for this for a long, long while. His own arms came to wrap around Ken, pulling the boy a bit more into his lap, trying to hold him as best as he could. Davis gasped slightly when Ken kissed at his neck, curling his shoulder up shyly. Ken drew his face back just slightly. "Sorry, still too sensitive?" he whispered in the other boy's ear. "I don't want it to hurt..."

Davis bit his bottom lip slightly. He'd waited so long for this, and Ken's voice would no doubt be echoing in his head like that all night. But... "I-I'm sorry, Ken... b-but I can barely stand up. I won't be able to do much..."

"Well..." Ken cupped his palm against Davis' cheek. "That doesn't mean I won't be able to."

Davis looked confused, shaking his head a little bit. "I don't know what you mean, Ken..."

"It means... Just relax..." It was hardly like him, but Ken wanted this as badly as Davis did. Too much had kept them apart for too long. If Ken had to step up and be the one to take action, then so be it. "Do you remember?" Ken began as he carefully pulled Davis' shirt off, "When you fetched me from the dungeon, and you were trying to be intimate with me? Don't feel guilty about what you did, but do you remember what I said? What I thought a relationship consisted of?"

Davis thought for a while, his arms sort of wrapping around himself when Ken pulled off his shirt. Joe had wrapped bandages around most of his torso, covering up the small, bruised and bloodied bumps that ran down his back. Davis touched them lightly with his fingers, and then looked up at Ken, shaking his head slightly. "I remember what happened, but I can barely recall what was said."

Slender fingers gently ghosted over the exposed skin near Davis' collarbone. "I had said that when it came to a relationship between us, all I ever wanted was to kiss you, hold you, be held by you... Touch, carress, feel, learn..." Ken started to pull on the sweatpants Davis was wearing. "With intimacy comes exploration. It's how two people learn about each other and become closer. Don't you think so?"

"Y-yeah, that makes sense," Davis said, smiling slightly. His legs didn't do much, just allowed Ken to pull the sweatpants away and discard them. "There was never a time when either of us was really totally gentle with the other... And I'd like that from now on."

"That's what I want too." Ken's thumb rubbed over Davis' hip bone before hooking inside his boxers. "I also want you to finally get what you deserve, Davis."

"Wh-what I deserve?" Davis still looked a little lost, even as a red blush overtook his cheeks. "What's that?"

Ken kissed the inside of Davis' now exposed thigh. "To be loved in a most preciously intimate manner without the fear of pain or control." Ken kissed the warm, tan skin again and again until he saw the kind of result he was expecting. "You were taken advantage of for too many years, and then left alone for reasons that weren't even your fault. This... This is something I've wanted to give you... and I don't want to wait anymore..."

Davis' toes curled slightly as Ken kissed at his thigh. After a while the boy's breathing became a little husky, and his knees tilted together as he hardened. "I-If that's the way you feel, Ken... that's fine." He smiled meekly, nodding his head. Cautious, but still a taf eager. "J-just be gentle with me."

"Davis..." Ken pushed up on one arm so he could be eye-level with the other boy. "You know I wouldn't dream of treating you any less than that." He pressed their lips together in a comforting, promising kiss before bowing back down. Ken kissed along his length first, setting a mood of tenderness they both wanted, and then slowly sealed his lips over the tip.

Davis leaned into the kiss, only to let his head fall back against the headboard when Ken pulled away. He shivered at first, and then let out a quiet groan when Ken's lips touched him like that. His hands grabbed at the sheets instinctively, and his eyes slid shut as he gave another quiet gasp.

With his knees tucked under him for support, Ken was able to reach out his hands. He laced his fingers in with Davis', letting the darker skinned teen squeeze them. Ken's mouth moved down, his lips soft and smooth, while his tongue curled, wetting his work.

Davis took Ken's hands, resisting the urge to squirm or buck his hips as he started. "Nn... Aah!" He gasped and groaned, tilting his chin down into his chest a little as the blush burned on his face. It had been so long. and never had it been with Ken, careful and gentle, with hands to hold. His hands squeezed Ken's slightly.

Ken knew pulling away might be unfair, but he had to, for only a second. "How is it?" he asked while kissing Davis' lower stomach. Sure the squirming, moaning, and squeezing could have told him it was good, but he needed to hear it. Ken needed to hear Davis say it was all right.

"Aah... nn..." Davis gasped, cracking open an eye to look down at Ken. "It's brilliant," he breathed, laughing weakly. "L-like, wow."

"Good..." Ken smiled a little. "I'm glad." He bowed his head once more and resumed the treatment he was giving Davis. Ken moved his mouth up and down, all the way from tip to base and back again. His tongue never stopped either. The pale boy would let forth his own moan now and then in order to send a delicious vibration up through Davis' pelvis and into his stomach.

When Ken moaned, Davis' whole body shivered. He groaned and his hips occasionally pushed upwards despite his concious efforts to keep them down. "Nngh, nn... ah! Nnm..." One of his hands slipped out of Ken's to slide into his hair, gently scratching at his scalp, though his fingers occasionally jumped when Davis gasped with pleasure.

Ken's free hand slid around to Davis' back. Fingertips brushed against the small of his back, sending even more tiny sensations up Davis' spine. Ken started to tilt his head forward slightly so he could draw the other boy deeper into his throat.

Davis' spine arched slightly, and he had to embarrassedly lift his hand to his face for a moment to wipe his mouth before he could continue to gasp and groan uninhibited. "A-ah... o-oh, Ken..." he moaned, tilting his head back as he laced his fingers into those dark locks again. "K-Ken, I-I'm almost..."

Ken just nodded. While it might not have been obvious at the moment, Ken was soaring. Honestly he was getting just as much pleasure out of this as Davis was. All because finally, finally, he was able to give back. Finally they were together and nothing was threatening to tear them apart. There was no disease, no danger, no demon hovering in the shadows and waiting to strike. Everything was going to happen the way it should, and when he was done here, they would lay in each other's arms. Happy.

Finally, Davis hit his peak. He gasped loudly, groaning Ken's name. His back arched, toes curled, hands twisting up in Ken's hair, but not pulling, and his limbs shook as the pressure that had built up in his body was released. It took several moments, the boy still shivering and groaning, until he finally sunk down against the headboard contentedly.

Ken swallowed immediately. He didn't give himself time to be surprised and cough or gag. As soon as he felt the rush, he took the stuff back into his throat. When it was all over, he pulled away slowly for the last time. Ken had to wipe his own mouth with something of a sly, yet cute grin. "We finally did it..."

Despite everything, that little smile still managed to make Davis' blush deeper. He nodded numbly, managing his own dazed grin. "Yeah, we did..." He untangled his fingers from Ken's hair, but bit his lip shyly as he smiled when he pet back stray strands again. "I-I love you, Ken..."

The pale boy smiled more lovingly this time. "I love you too, Davis." Davis grabbed for his boxers after a few moments of looking at Ken. He picked up his legs and slid them on. He then gestured for Ken to sit next to him against the headboard with a wave of his hand. Ken nodded and crawled up to sit beside Davis. He wrapped one arm around Davis' front, sorting of curling up on his side and leaning his head on a warm shoulder. "Davis... I'm thinking about getting a job..."

Davis had sort of hoped to be able to curl up against Ken, but his arm slid over the other boy's shoulder anyway. This was nice, too. "What kind of job?" he asked.

"At the library," he replied. "They need someone to catalog and shelve the books. I think it's something I would really enjoy doing. Plus... I want to be able to pay Taichi. You know, for food and things."

"Right... I should probably think about that, too," Davis said, nodding his head a bit.

"Once you're better," Ken insisted. "Right?"

"Yeah, of course," Davis said, laughing quietly as he closed his eyes. "I can't do much work if I can't walk around. Once I'm back on my feet, then I'll look around for a job."

Ken's fingers traced over Davis' collarbone. "Maybe you can coach soccer like Taichi."

"Maybe," Davis said, smiling forlornly. "I miss soccer a lot... I haven't really been able to play in so long. I'd be jealous watching the team play," he said, laughing a little.

"You would be great with the kids," Ken said. "You have such a great sense of humor and you know how to have fun. There are coaches out there who make a game of soccer feel like a war. You have to win or else don't bother even pretending you're any good. I hate coaches like that."

"Mhm, me too. I had a coach like that," Davis sighed, shaking his head a little. "That was so long ago... How about you, was yours like that?" the boy asked, as his hand idly traced a circle on the back of Ken's shoulder.

Ken shook his head. "No... but I was. Our coach was a nice guy, believed in having fun and doing our best. I..." Ken hesitated. "I thought he was weak and basically took over the team."

"You were like that," Davis said with a small nod. "They used to call you 'The Rocket'," he recalled. "I idolised you back then."

"I didn't like who I was back then..."

"Yeah, I can understand that..." Davis said, nodding his head slightly. "But... that's a day that I still remember so clearly. Despite everything that happened afterwards."

"He was really strong that day," Ken said. "Usually in the real world he would sort of sleep, but not then. I don't remember things nearly as well as you do, I'm sure." Ken looked down toward his leg tangled with Davis'. "I remember lots of cheering and the wind in my ears. Then I remember feeling pain and there was blood on my shin. That's when he put me away."

"That was my fault," Davis said, opening his eyes a little only to roll his pupils up guiltily. "You were totally whipping us, and were going to be up by ten points. I kicked you in the shin to at least stop you from scoring again before time ran out."

Ken tapped Davis on the nose. "Sounds like yellow card behavior to me."

"What?" Davis laughed, smirking a little. "I didn't mean to... I just slid and my cleats made contact. Honest mistake."

"Oh yeah, sure," Ken teased. "That's what they all say."

"I never lie when it comes to soccer," Davis said, holding his head up proudly. "Unless it's about an injury. Then I lie all the time," he added with a quiet snicker.

Ken frowned just slightly. "You shouldn't lie about being hurt, Davis. If you don't get treated, you might make it worse. You might not even be able to play soccer anymore if it's bad enough."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Davis said, waving his hand. "I never had a problem, though. The worst I ever did was fracture something. I told them I was hurt right after the game was over, I just couldn't sit the entire second half out!"

"Would you tell me if you got hurt?" Ken asked and stroked the bandages on Davis' chest.

"Hm?" Davis asked, looking down at Ken. "I guess so, why?"

Ken was quiet for a moment. "I don't know. I just... needed to ask..."

Davis smiled slightly. "Yeah, Ken. If you want me to, I will." His voice got quieter, and suddenly a yawn broke through his lips.

"You should sleep," Ken said, voice quiet.

"Yeah," Davis agreed, nodding his head. "I want to have a lot of energy for when Taichi comes home," he said with a quiet laugh. He looked down for a moment, before carefully moving Ken's head off of his shoulder. But instead of moving away from him, he just slid down into the sheets and wrapped his arms around Ken's waist, leaning his head against his chest and closing his eyes. Ken smiled gently. He let one hand rest on Davis' shoulder while the other pet his short cinnamon hair until the boy fell asleep.


	17. Back to Normality

Davis' dreams had all been about waking. It was a strange sort of experience, to dream about waking up over and over again. Eventually he was unsure about wether or not he was waking up in reality or not. When his eyes actually fluttered open, he lay there for a few moments, staring at the wall, trying to judge if this was real life or just another dream. He realized it was when he noticed that his pillow was moving. And warm. No, it wasn't a pillow... Davis remembered falling asleep with his arms around Ken's waist, and realized his head was still resting on the boy's stomach. He smiled gently, knowing finally that he'd actually awoken. He turned his head over then, looking up towards Ken.

Ken hadn't been sure if that first wake up was real either. Grief struck and delusion was still a consideration in the back of his mind, but as the hours went on and Davis remained in his lap, Ken knew this was real. He didn't blink only to find the tan boy still in his sleeping coma back in the same huddled position. Wormmon had come in and smiled joyfully in that way of his, happy for his boy. Now, as Davis stirred, Ken had a book in one hand and the other draped over Davis' shoulder. When he felt the other boy move, Ken looked down to meet his gaze. "Your hair tickles," he said sweetly with pink dusting on his cheeks.

Davis laughed, a broad smile coming over his face. He squeezed Ken's waist a bit before he murmured, "Does it?" Experimentally he started to roll his face back and forth across Ken's stomach, rubbing his hair against the other boy's arm.

Ken giggled, making his stomach flutter, and tried to bend his arm away. He couldn't bear give up the touch though, not with that warm precious skin, so he just submitted to gentle laughter and a brighter blush.

Eventually Davis stopped, laughing the same way Ken was from feeling his laughter beneath his cheek. "I like the sound of your laugh," he murmured, as he pulled his arms a bit tighter.

"And I like the way you hold me so closely," Ken replied. Carefully he took to brushing back Davis' bangs and watched them fluff back into place. "Mama used to say I sounded like a morning bird when I laughed."

Davis thought for a moment, closing his eyes as he allowed Ken's hand to pass over his face. "I can hear it," he said, nodding a bit.

"Really?" Ken hummed through a smile. "I never quite managed to actually sing, though. Not well, really... much. At all." The boy laughed. "But I don't need to sing."

"Why's that?" Davis asked quietly. He still seemed rather sleepy, but he was just enjoying listening to Ken talk, prompting him to speak again so he could just lie there and listen.

"Why?" Ken echoed. "Well..." He gently drummed his fingers against Davis' head as he thought. "I have more than enough brains, I've heard I have quite the gentle heart, and... frankly speaking, I have an amazingly tender and sexy figure, so what more do I need?" he said with a grin.

Davis blushed and laughed again, smiling and nodding his head. "Alright, I see what you're getting at," he admitted, rolling onto his back so his hair tickled Ken's stomach a bit.

Ken bit his lip to suppress another giggle. "Did you sleep well?" he asked and started to pet the soft, grown out spikes. "You know you slept all through the night and most of the morning. I think you got close to another 16 hours."

"I kept dreaming that I was waking up," Davis admitted, leaning his head into the touch a bit. "But I do feel refreshed..."

"What was it like?" Ken asked.

"Confusing," Davis answered with a small laugh.

"Was I there?"

"Sometimes," Davis said, nodding. "But always in a different spot. And sometimes I was alone... sometimes I wasn't even in this room."

Ken frowned gently as he continued to pet the other boy's hair. "Where were you?"

"The citadel... a cell... back home in the room I grew up in..." Davis let out a short breath then. "Various places."

The frown turned into a smile as Ken leaned over to place a kiss on Davis' forehead. "You're here with me now, Davis."

Davis managed a small smile of his own. "Yeah." He looked about the room, pushing himself up onto his elbows. "Help me up, Ken?"

"Up? L-Like on your feet?" Ken asked even as he began to scramble about to help.

"Yeah," Davis said, getting up into a sitting position and nodding.

Ken stood beside the bed and held out his arms, ready to give support where needed. "Wh-I mean... Where do you want to go? Do you need to use the bathroom?"

Davis shifted himself to the side of the bed, letting his feet dangle over the sides before taking Ken's hands. "I want to be in the living room when Taichi comes home," he murmured, attempting to get to his feet.

"We have a few hours," Ken said. "Oh! How about a bath? We haven't been able to give you a proper one since, well... And then you'll be nice and clean when he comes home. A brand new Davis!"

Davis smiled a bit, swaying on his feet a little and strengthening his grip on Ken, moving from his hands to his arms. "Alright. That sounds fine."

"It's right through there," he said, nodding his head toward a door on the adjacent wall. Ken moved back one careful, slow, attentive step at a time. He let Davis set the pace and kept a close eye on his legs for signs of falling.

Davis did alright for himself with someone to lean on. He took shuffling steps instead of picking up his feet, and it worked well enough. He only stumbled a little when he had to go over the threshold into the bathroom, but he managed to keep his footing with Ken's help.

Ken smiled and nodded encouragingly during the short, yet tedious trip across the room. "Good job! Now, think you can just lean against the wall there while I start the water? It'll only take a few seconds."

Davis nodded his head, easing himself against the wall and getting his footing on the tile before letting go of Ken.

Ken turned on the water, letting his hand hang under the faucet until he felt the water was just warm enough. Not too much, though, and risk aggravating Davis' still soft scars. He found a bottle of bubble bath that was supposed to smell like the ocean, so he poured a little of that in, too. "All right," Ken said as he turned back to Davis, "While that fills up, let's get you undressed. We'll do your pants first so you can sit down." Ken knelt on the floor, pulling on the sweat pants and helping Davis actually lift his legs.

Davis looked a little embarrassed as he let Ken undress him, wishing he could do it himself, but he just kept quiet and allowed Ken to help. He pulled his own shirt off, since he could do that, at least, and handed it off to Ken.

As was his habit, Ken took the time to fold the clothes and place them on the sink counter. Then he helped Davis to the edge of the tub. "Go ahead and stick your feet in while you're sitting there, get used to the water." For the last step, Ken had to ever to carefully unwrap the bandages from the other boy's torso. Everything underneath really did need to be cleaned, and Ken could easily put on fresh bandages afterward.

Davis carefully sat on the side of the tub, letting his feet soak in the water as Ken unwrapped his bandages. He winced gently as they were taken off, making a small hissing noise. "I can't wait until this is all over with," he said with a small sigh.

"I know," Ken said gently, trying to be equally so in his work. "Cleaning them will help, though." The old bandages were thrown in the garbage before Ken helped Davis the rest of the way into the tub. The beach scented mounds of foam smelled nice, but they also allowed the tan boy some privacy. "How's that? Does it need cold water?"

"No... no, I'm fine," Davis said, smiling at Ken gently as he lowered himself into the suds. "Thanks. Hopefully this won't last for too long."

Ken smiled. "What, the bath? Oh, Davis, you enjoy it as long as your can."

"No," Davis answered, laughing and shaking his head. "I mean this... recovery period, I guess."

"Oh, that, yeah... I'll agree with that." Ken was on his knees once more looking at the shampoos and body washes to choose from. It was obvious which ones where actually Taichi's and which ones for when Yamato slept over. 

The bathroom door creaked gently as a little white face poked inside. "Hey, I came to check on Davis, but he wasn't in- Bubbles!" Chibimon exclaimed before he could finish his statement. He came bounding in, squeaking with laughter, and jumped right into the tub. Chibimon then emerged covered in the sudsy wonder, splashing and laughing. "Bubbles, Davis! Bubbles! Yeah!"

Davis shielded his eyes when Chibimon suddenly jumped into the water, making it go everywhere. Bubbles slid down the wall and Davis couldn't help but laugh when he saw that Ken was sputtering and wiping his face dry with a towel that was hung on the wall. He gave the other boy an apologetic look before he dove his hands into the water and plucked Chibimon up, bringing him closer through the suds and gently grinding his fist between the little Digimon ears in a light noogie. "You're asking for it, Chibimon!" he laughed, leaning back in the water.

Chibimon waved his paws trying to push Davis' hands away. "Asking for what?" he laughed. "Bath time adventures like we used to have? Cause I'm all about that!" the little Digimon cheered and tossed bubbles into the air.

Davis popped one of the bubbles with a grin, looking back down at the little blue Digimon floating in the suds. "No, you're asking for a tickling," he snickered, threateningly digging one finger under his Digimon's chin. "But an adventure sounds good, too."

Chibimon squealed happily and squirmed. "No tickles!" he cried. Ken watched with a smile. He had to admit, no one put a smile on Davis' face like Chibimon. Picking up one of the cleaner scented shampoo bottles, Ken then set to washing his boyfriend's hair, fingers gently massaging his scalp.

Davis looked surprised at first, but then leaned back and closed his eyes as Ken washed his hair, so none of the suds would seep in. He let Chibimon lay down on his chest, his back half in the water, and scratched behind his head.

Unable to deny his own playful nature, Chibimon took to quiet giggling as he dipped his paws in the suds and then arranged them on Davis' face. Ken watched, biting his lip through as smile as Davis earned two bushy eyebrows, some sideburns, a generous mustache, and a chin beard to match.

"I can feel that, you know," Davis murmured through the suds, smirking as he started to tickle the Digimon's side.

"You don't feel anyyythiiiiing," Chibimon said in a mystical play voice, waving his paws like a Jedi mind trick. Davis pursed his lips and blew away the bubbles near them towards Chibimon, effectively turning his little Digimon into a snowman mad of suds. He peered one eye open and started to snicker at the sight. "Ooooowwooo! I am the bubble ghost!" Chibimon moaned. 

Ken just laughed as he poured water over the back of Davis' head to rinse the shampoo out. "Were you two always like this?" 

"Of course!" Chibimon chimed. "Davis is my super duper most best friend ever!"

"You're surprised?" Davis asked with a laugh, words sputtering through the water until he shook his head out like a dog. Surprisingly the spikes at once returned.

"No, not so surprised as much as just curious," Ken replied. "I think it's sweet that you've always had this with each other. I'm not sure I ever had a healthy relationship with Wormmon until recently."

"Really?" Davis asked, looking surprised himself. "But... he always spoke so fondly of you as a kid. Surely you guys got along then if he does that."

"I... I guess so," Ken said with a frown.

Davis saw that look and frowned as well, but then put a smile back on. "Hey, but, that's in the past now, right? Now you've got a chance to have a good relationship with him again."

Ken wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, but he presented a smile as well. "R-Right. You're right. I'll do right by him this time." He then lathered a washcloth with soap. "All right, arm." Davis fell quiet and nodded, doing as he was told and lifting his arm for Ken to wash.

"Davis! Davis! Davis!" exclaimed Chibimon as he hopped up and down in his boy's lap. "I was watching a movie one time and there was this big dinosaur and and and he was bigger than all the buildings! And he would roar and knock stuff over and fight other dinosaurs and and and... oh! And! And he lived in the ocean so whenever he came onto land he would jump up outta the ocean like this!" Chibimon plunged beneath the water and bubbles, only jump out a second later, waving his arms. "Raaawwrr! Like! Like that! Rrraaaaawr!"

Davis laughed, starting to whip up small towers of bubbles for Chibimon to knock over. "You mean Gojira?" he asked.

"Yeah! Yeah! That was it!" Chibimon said with an excited nod. "He, he went Rrrraawwwr! And would swing his tail and go ker-smash!" Which he emphasized by swiping his own little tail into the bubble buildings. "And all the tiny people scream, 'Look out! It's Gojira! Oh nooooo!' And there's always the lady who goes, 'Not my baby!' even though her baby isn't in trouble! She! She! She just does cause it's dramatastic!"

Davis laughed, crossing his arm over his chest to give the other arm to Ken. "Did you guys watch a lot of movies?"

Chibimon nodded. "Ya-huh! Taichi has lots of movies! He even has movies from America with the words at the bottom!"

"Well, at least you weren't bored," Davis said, smiling at his Digimon before looking over at Ken. "Can I get out yet? The water's starting to go cold."

Ken smiled and handed the washcloth over. "Just get what's below the water and you'll be done," he answered. Davis nodded his head, sitting Chibimon up on the side of the tub before leaning forward to wash his stomach and legs. When he was done, he hung the washcloth on the spigot, and pulled up the drain to let the water filter out. "Okay, we have to be very careful now," Ken instructed as he offered his arm. "Grab hold and keep a firm grip. I don't want you slipping and falling in the tub. Another bonk on the head and you'll be asleep for three months this time."

"Maybe I should dry off first?" Davis suggested, even as he grabbed onto Ken's arm.

Ken nodded. "That's actually a good point. Here..." Once more he set Davis on the edge of the tub before digging for a towel. 

Meanwhile, Chibimon was on his feet on the tub's edge. He was hunkered down, wiggling his rear end, and then jumped into the tub. "Wheeee!" he cried as he slid down one side and up the other like a skater on a half pipe.

Davis watched with a small smile until Ken handed him the towel, and insisted on drying himself off, lifting his legs and setting his feet on the other side of the tub after he dried off each foot. "Hopefully that'll help," he said, wrapping the towel around his waist after standing with Ken's help.

Chibimon climbed out of the tub after his boy, getting dry simply by shaking himself cutely. Ken made sure he had a secure hold on Davis before walking them back out into the bedroom. "There's an outfit I've been saving for this day," Ken said once the other boy was safely seated on the bed. "I saw it in the store and just had to get it."

"Yeah?" Davis asked, looking rather interested, leaning forward on his knees. He smirked a bit then. "Did you just guess, or take precise measurements while I was asleep?"

Ken laughed. "No, nothing creepy like that. I just shot for a medium in everything." He brought the clothes out from the closet. Presented first, and most importantly, was the t-shirt. It was mostly black with short sleeves. Around the bottom half were printed blue flames with yellow tips and red embers crackling up towards the chest. "I know it isn't exactly like your old jacket, but... well... I hope you like it anyway."

"Oh, cool!" Davis would have jumped to his feet to grab the shirt, but rather just put his hands up and grabbed at the air until it was handed over. "I never actually was allowed to wear anything with a flame print on it when I was a kid," he said with a small laugh.

Ken beamed when he saw how excited Davis was for the shirt and handed it over willingly. "Really? Why not?"

"Mom always said it if I wore flame print, I'd look like a punk," Davis snickered as he pulled the shirt on over his head. "I guess the Digital World knew my mom wouldn't usually let me have a jacket like that."

"I suppose so." Ken gasped. "Davis, wait! Don't you want me to re-wrap your back first?"

"Oh!" Davis stopped, just before he pulled the shirt down over his torso. "That's probably a good idea."

Ken nodded and rummaged around in the carrier back Joe had left behind. Antibiotic ointment was applied to the open sores where the wings used to be and then Ken began the careful task of wrapping Davis with the bandages. "I can cut your hair, too, if you want," he offered.

"Is it that long?" Davis asked, only putting the shirt down when Ken had finished with his bandages.

"I mean... It's longer than it used to be," Ken replied while running his fingers through Davis' hair. "It's not creeping down your neck or anything, though."

"Well... a trim wouldn't hurt to pass the time," Davis said with a shrug. "But I need a pair of pants first," he added with a small snicker.

"Oh really? I kind of like you like this," Ken teased, but he still handed over a pair of yellow happy Buddha statue boxers and large fitting jean shorts.

Davis slipped on the boxers and shorts with a bit of help from Ken. "Whatever you think is best, then," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I just... let's get into the living room."

"All right, it's a longer walk to the couch, but don't try to rush it," Ken instructed as he once again helped Davis to his feet.

Davis nodded, letting Ken help him up and slowly making his way into the living room. It was slow going, but the boy was starting to feel more confident on his feet, like his legs were remembering how to walk the more he actually moved about. Even the short distances were helping. He flopped down onto the couch once he was in front of it and leaned back, propping his feet up on the coffee table to wait for Taichi.

Ken sat on the coffee table and promptly took Davis' feet into his lap. Then he began massaging the other boy's calves. "You haven't walked in so long. Don't want you to get cramped muscles. Plus it'll help keep the blood flowing." 

Chibimon jumped into his boy's lap. "Davis will be running and kicking a soccer ball before you know it!"

"You bet I will," Davis said, flashing a toothy smile at his Digimon. "If I keep practicing every day, I'll be on my feet again in no time."

"You can't push your self," Ken warned gently. 

"Davis can take it!" Chibimon insisted. "Davis can do anything!"

"Don't worry, Ken," Davis said, laughing and petting Chibimon. "I'll have you guys to help me, right? So I'm sure I'll be fine."

Ken nibbled on his lower lip. "I just know you can get over zealous sometimes, that's all..."

Davis smiled a bit more genuinely then. "Don't worry, Ken. I'm sure everything will work out just fine."

Ken just nodded silently. It wasn't long before the lock on the front door clicked. Ken looked and then quickly stood. "I'll be folding laundry," he said and hurried off. 

The front door opened and Taichi stepped inside. He didn't notice Davis at first, eyes down as he worked to get his shoes off and dropped his duffel by the wall. Finally, though, he looked up and stopped dead in his tracks. "Davis!" he exclaimed with wide brown eyes.

Davis looked a bit surprised when Ken suddenly ran off, but turned his eyes back to the door just in time to see it open. He chose not to say anything, waiting for Taichi to notice him. He smiled, trying to pick himself up off the couch but then resigning to just keep smiling at him from his seat. "Hey, Taichi."

"Holy crap! Ken said you had woken up once already, but I almost didn't believe it!" Taichi rushed over to the couch where he started poking Davis in the face experimentally. "Look at you, man! You look great!"

Davis laughed, trying to lean his head out of the way of the prodding finger. "Yeah, Ken helped clean me up this morning," he explained through his snickers.

Taichi laughed also, still just stunned. "Wow, man, I can hardly believe it. How do you feel? Have you eaten yet?"

"I feel... better than yesterday," Davis said, nodding his head. "I'm still having a bit of trouble walking around, but my head feels clear." He opened his mouth to answer the second question, but his stomach growled and did it for him.

Taichi's laughter was much louder this time. "I'll take that as a no. Hey! I've got a burger wrapped up in the fridge. Yamato tried to eat one, but he was too much of a sissy to do it. I'm pretty sure it's still good. S'got onions, pickles, ketchup, mustard, everything. You want it?"

"Sounds good to me," Davis said with a grin. "Though I'll admit that since I fell asleep before I was able to get any food in me yesterday, anything sounds good."

"True, but eating your favorite makes it even better." Taichi went to the small kitchen and retrieved the foil wrapped burger from the fridge. He put it on the plate with some potato chips and a soda. "I'm sure Joe would say you should be eating lighter and drinking water," Taichi said as he came back into the living room, "But this is a special occasion."

"Probably..." Davis agreed with a small laugh. He thought for a few moments, though, and looked up at Taichi with a small frown. "How is Joe? How's... everyone?"

"Oh, everyone's great!" Taichi replied and set the plate and drink in Davis' lap. "Yamato has a concert next weekend he's been practicing for. Sora went with her team to a match last Friday and they came back with first place. Joe's back at the books and Mimi is staying with him. Apparently she cooks all the time now. I never pegged her for the type." He took a seat on the other side of the boy. "Kari is vice president of the photography club at school, just voted in, and is setting up a trip to the zoo for them. She wanted to get the Imperial Gardens, but some kind of private party is going to be there. Izzy and Willis are staying at Izzy's parents' place doing whatever nerds do, I guess. Along with basketball, TK has been working to fix up the apartment after it got smashed up a little. Yolei is still working at the family store. I think she's obsessed with this new teen actor? I dunno. And... Cody is being Cody."

Davis smiled and nodded his head, taking a large bite out of the burger as he listened. He swallowed the large bite when Taichi was done talking to ask another question. "And the Digimon? Are they all doing okay?"

Taichi nodded. "Yup! Agumon is at Yamato's place right now. I went to pick him up on my way home from work, but he and Gabumon are engaged in a game of Go. So I let him stay."

"And the others? Gomamon... Palmon? Did they hatch again?"

"They sure did," Taichi said with another nod. "Palmon is still a Yuramon, but Gomamon is back to Bukamon and apparently he eats everything Mimi makes."

Davis seemed contented with that answer. "Good to hear," he answered, before going back to eating his own meal.

Chibimon looked between the two humans, checking to see if they were watching him, and then snatched a chip from Davis' plate. He snuggled down in the little corner of Davis' side and the back of the couch where he promptly began to nibble on the chip. Taichi just snickered. "How'd you get such a ridiculously cute Digimon, dude?"

"I guess I'm just lucky," Davis said through a mouthful of burger, reaching one finger down to scritch behind Chibimon's ear. He swallowed and continued to smile fondly. "And not only did I get lucky enough to get a cute Digimon, I got one that's strong and sticks by me through everything..."

"I'm epic!" Chibimon proclaimed with a squeak.

"That's definately a word I'd use," Davis agreed.

Taichi sat with Davis for a while, just letting the boy eat and answering any questions he might have. They'd been silent for a few minutes when Taichi finally gave the boy a weird look. "I gotta ask. Did Ken not tell you the news, or have you just decided not to pursue the idea?"

Davis looked over at Taichi with a confused expression. "What? If he did it must have slipped my mind..."

"This wouldn't slip your mind, trust me." Taichi seemed hesitant to tell now, but it wasn't something he could keep from the boy. "We... that is, Izzy and Willis... found, well... They found your family."

Davis nearly spat out his drink. Instead he practically choked on it, coughing and slamming his fist into his chest to try and clear his throat. "They did?" he finally managed to gasp between coughs. "When?"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down first," Taichi said and pat Davis on the back. "It was only maybe a week ago at most. TK said he'd made you a promise, so he got Willis and Izzy to help him. Apparently your dad moved your mom and sister to Sendai in the Miyagi Prefecture. They lived there for a few years until about a year ago. Now they actually live in Tokyo. You'd just have to take the ferry to the mainland and go about seven miles by bus."

"Can- when can I go?" Davis asked excitedly, suddenly putting his glass and plate down on the table so he could turn his whole body excitedly towards Taichi. "Can I go visit them now? Did you guys find out if they're doing alright? Where in Tokyo?"

"Well, it's a little late now. Technically we could drive over the Rainbow Bridge. They live in an apartment complex near the park that's just off to the right of the bridge. It'll take us about three or four hours to get out there. My advice would be to wait until tomorrow. It'll be a Saturday, everyone will be home, and we'll go early so you'll have plenty of time."

Excitement was shining in Davis' eyes. He grinned widely and finally leaned back, nodding his head. "Alright... alright, that sounds good."

Taichi smiled as well, seeing how excited Davis was. He was glad that the boy wasn't nervous or resentful, as he easily could have been. "I wonder why Ken didn't tell you, though?"

Davis shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sure he assumed I was going through a lot... just having woken up, you know?"

The older teen nodded. "Yeah, I can see that. So how was the food?" he asked and nodded toward the empty plate.

"Great," Davis said with a grin. "Feels like forever since I had a good meal."

"I'm sure it's been a good long while," Taichi agreed. "Later, for dinner, how about we order pizza, huh? Extra cheese and all the pepperoni you can stomach."

"Yes," Davis hissed, pumping his fist excitedly. "As long as I'm awake for it," he added with a laugh. "Yesterday I only lasted a few hours."

Taichi smirked. "Well, a lot of emotional and physical energy is spent doing what you two did."

Davis opened his mouth to answer, only to blush and look at his feet. "Yes. Yes it is," he murmured, looking embarrassed at being caught.

"You can thank your Digimon for that one," he said and nodded at Chibimon who was still tucked cutely between them.

"You told?" Davis asked exasperatedly, gaping at his Digimon.

Chibimon blinked his big red eyes, looking between the two of them. "What'd I do?" he whined.

"What'd you tell Taichi?" Davis asked, plucking his Digimon up in his hands.

"Nothing!" Chibimon whined again. "All I said was that I heard you making funny noises so I went to make sure you were okay. You had tried walking before and hurt your legs, but when I looked in, Ken was already licking your legs for you!" Taichi bit his bottom lip, trying hard not to laugh. "I mean, that's what you do, right? Like puppies? I do it, too! When you're hurt, you lick it better. That's all I said! I swear!"

Davis buried his face in his hand as it turned an even brighter red. "Yeah, yeah Chibimon, you're right. Like puppies."

"Then how come I'm in trouble?" asked Chibimon with another whine, his candy eyes large and sad.

"You're not in trouble," Davis said, placing his Digimon back down in his lap. "I think if anyone's in trouble, it might be me," he said, now smiling sheepishly as he cast an apologetic look at Taichi.

Taichi raised both his hands. "Hey, man, as long you wash those sheets when you're done, I don't care."

"Well, that's good," Davis said, finally letting out his breath.

"It'd be pretty hypocritical of me if I wasn't cool with it, right?"

"A bit," Davis said with a laugh. Suddenly, a yawn loosed from his mouth, but he shook his head quickly as if trying to dispel it.

"Maybe a nap?" Taichi suggested. "I can wake you up when the pizza gets here."

"Good idea," Davis said with another nod. He considered asking for help to get back to the bed, but decided against the idea and turned over, pulling his legs up onto the couch and resting his head on the armrest.

Taichi stood and grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch to lay it over Davis. Chibimon wriggled out from under the blanket around Davis' knees only to crawl up and tuck himself cutely under his boy's chin. "Need an extra pillow or anything?" the older boy asked.

"Nah," Davis murmured, shaking his head. His eyes were fluttering, showing that he was already nodding off. "Thanks... for everything, Taichi."

Taichi smiled and reached down to gently ruffle Davis' hair. "Anytime, Daisuke. Anything you ever need, you know I'm here for you."

"Mhm..." Davis hummed, eyes closing now. The boy drifted off to sleep with the blanket pulled all the way up over him and his Digimon, and a small smile on his face.


	18. Home

Davis had risen with the sun the next morning, and found himself too excited to get back to sleep. Luckily, when he woke Chibimon up, he was guaranteed entertainment until Ken and Taichi finally woke up as well. Pinamon wasn't around anymore, already moved to his new home with Davis' old doctor. The boy was practically bouncing all throughout breakfast, and even as they helped him to get washed and dressed. He seemed to be doing much better walking by himself, too, as he practically made it all the way down to Taichi's van by himself, only needing help down the stairs. The ride into Tokyo was long, but he was nothing short of wired. When they arrived at the apartment building, Davis practically shot into the elevator and reached the top first, Chibimon perched on his shoulder. But a peculiar sight befell Ken, Wormmon, and Taichi as they emerged from the stairwell a few minutes after Davis had already gotten off. He'd reached the apartment, and even saw the plaque next to the door that read his last name, Motomiya. But he was just sort of standing there, staring at the door.

Taichi frowned worriedly as he approached the boy. "Davis, what wrong?" he asked and placed a supportive hand on Davis' shoulder. "Nervous?"

Ken came around the other side and held Davis' hand in both his own. "We don't have to do this today," he said, almost hopefully. "We can wait until another time."

Davis swallowed, shaking his head. "No, no, I want to do it today, I just... need a minute..." He finished his sentence with a shaky laugh, looking up at Taichi and smiling. "I'm not nervous, I'm just..." He laughed again, hoping it would relieve the tension a bit. "Okay, I am nervous."

"You want us to wait for you in the van?" Taichi asked and pointed his thumb back over his shoulder. "Maybe you'll be less nervous if there aren't as many people around."

"No, that's not it. I actually... feel better with you guys here." Davis moved his hand to squeeze Ken's, and took a deep breath in. "Alright." He lifted his other hand and hesitated only another moment before he knocked on the wood.

It took a moment for anyone to come to the door. When it did open, it wasn't Davis' mom or dad standing there, but rather his older sister. She'd matured in the past six years. Jun had taken to straightening her hair and wore a green headband over her bangs. The knee length jean skirt she wore went well with the green blouse that was fashionable for someone her age. "Yes, may I help yo-" Only her voice trailed off when she saw the boy at the door. The boy she would recognize no matter what after all those evenings of babysitting, walking him to school teasing him, and keeping a secret watchful eye on him. "Oh my god..."

Davis inhaled sharply and then found himself unable to let out the breath. His sister had changed a lot, but he knew instantly that it was her. He wanted to say something, anything, but nothing was surfacing to his lips. He managed to start breathing again and quietly spat out, "Jun?"

She blinked back at him, mouth hanging open slightly. Jun breathed in the same fashion he did, but the words that followed weren't as much. "Mom!" the young woman suddenly shouted. "Mom! Mom get out here!" Jun ran back inside the apartment regardless to find her mother. "Mom! Mom! Dad! Mom! Dad!" Davis took a deep breath in, looking at Ken and Taichi and managing a small smile. This was it. This was really happening. He was going to get to see his parents again, and show them that he wasn't dead. He swallowed and turned his eyes back into the apartment."It's him!" came Jun's voice from somewhere inside the apartment. "_Him!_ It's Davis! No mom, I'm not lying, it's really him!" There was the sound of fast moving feet and Itsuyo appeared in the open doorway. Her eyes were wide as she tried to catch her breath. She stared at the boy on her threshold for only a few split seconds before tears flooded her eyes. "Daisuke!" Itsuyo threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around him. Davis was almost taller than her now. "Daisuke! Daisuke, my baby!"

Davis gasped when his mother suddenly appeared and hugged him. He was still for a moment, before breaking his hands free to wrap his arms around her waist and burying his face in the crook of her shoulder. "Mom..."

"I c-can't buh-liev... You ju-hust disapp-pp... Daisuk-k-ke! I muh-missed you so-so-suh..." The woman could hardly get the words out past her joyful sobs. She pulled back just enough to look into his eyes and cup his face in her palm. "Muh-My ba-b-baby b-boy. Y-You're ho-huhm...!"

Davis smiled shakily, though his lips twitched as tears starting to well up in his eyes. "Y-yeah... I-I'm home now."

Itsuyo just hugged him again, her grasp as tight as she could manage, and sobbed into the front of her son's shirt. That's when Hideo came around the corner. "Itsuyo, what's all the commotion about?" He stopped, like the other's had, and stared at the boy. "Son...?"

Davis held his mother now, rubbing her shoulders with one hand. He sniffled, tears running down his cheeks, and looked up with glassy eyes when his dad appeared in the foyer. "Yeah... hi, dad," he said in a choked up voice.

"My son..." Hideo gasped. "Daisuke, my son." The man rushed forward now, coming around Davis' side and wrapped his arms around both wife and son. "I can't believe it. You finally came home." He shed tears, but his were silent. Ken stepped back when the man came around, trying his best to stay out of the way. Seeing the reunion certainly was a happy sight, but it only made the pale boy's chest ache. From his spot hidden in a duffle bag alongside Chibimon, Wormmon watched the reunion with a happier expression. This is what they'd been working for all these years, to finally get Davis home to his family. He looked up at his boy, but his antenna drooped when he saw the sad look on his own partner's face. He could only imagine what Ken was going through, watching this. Davis was still holding his mother tightly and had broken down into tears against her shoulder and his father's chest.

Ken closed his eyes and turned his head away. "I can't do this..." he whispered and ran off. Taichi watched him run back towards the elevator, but he said nothing and didn't run after the boy.

Finally, Itsuyo pulled back, smiling and wiping her eyes. "Well what are we all standing out here, for? Come on, let's get inside. Daisuke... I can't believe I'm saying that name again... Daisuke, are you thirsty? Are you hungry? Hideo, go get him a soda and those little candies I picked up at the store the other day."

"I-I'm fine, mom," Davis said, smiling gently and wiping his eyes with the back of his sleeve. "I want you to meet..." he started, loosening his arms so he could turn around. He looked confused for a moment when he realized Ken wasn't there anymore. "My friends..." His voice trailed off for a moment, but then he swallowed and said, "This is Taichi... He helped me out a lot and let me stay with him while we were t-trying to find you guys."

"Taichi? Taichi... Taichi... Oh!" Itsuyo clapped her hands together and smiled. "You coached Daisuke when he was in elementary school!"

Taichi grunted softly when she was suddenly hugging him, but he smiled. "Y-Yeah, that's me."

"Thank you so much for looking after our boy!"

"It was nothing, really," he insisted and pat her gently on the back. Davis smiled weakly as he watched that. He even laughed a little, but it sort of trailed off as he looked off down the hall, wondering where Ken had gone, and why.

She started to usher everyone inside. "Come on! Come on! We have a lot to talk about." Once in the living room, Jun came running up and hugged her brother. It became obvious that she'd been trying to fix her make up from crying. So maybe she hadn't changed too much. Hideo came out with a tray of sodas and water and the candies his wife had mentioned and set them on the coffee table. Davis allowed himself to be ushered inside, but he gave Taichi a concerned look, hoping the other boy picked up on what he was asking. He wanted to run after Ken and find out what was wrong, but he couldn't. Not now, when he was just starting to sit down with his family again. Taichi met the look and just gave a shrug. Honestly, he wasn't one hundred percent sure what the problem was himself. Both parents sat on their side of their son on the couch while Jun and Taichi took the love seat opposite them. "Daisuke, sweetheart, where on earth have you been?" Itsuyo asked, grabbing his hands in hers. "Look at you... Are those scars? Oh my god... You were kidnapped weren't you? You were kidnapped and tortured!"

Davis nodded his head gently, brown eyes casting at the floor as he tried to think of how to explain it. "Yeah, mom... I was kidnapped. That's where I've been all this time."

The poor woman broke down into tears all over again. "I should have looked harder!" she cried and threw her arms around him all over again. "My baby! I'm so sorry, Daisuke!"

Davis swallowed dryly and put his hand back on her shoulder. "It's... it's alright, mom. I'm back now, th-that's the important thing."

Hideo put an arm around Davis' shoulders. "Where have you been this whole time, son? How did you escape? Should we be calling the police? We might still be able to catch the guy."

"I don't... quite know where I was," Davis admitted. "In fact, I don't remember much of what happened... and if I ever saw what the guy looked like, I don't remember that, either. I... woke up in the park after getting knocked out one day, and my friends found me. But that was a few months ago... I'm guessing the guy is probably long gone."

"A few months?" his mother said. "You were so close by all this time? Oh!" She broke down again and Hideo had to pat her on the back to calm her down.

"We're just glad you found us, Daisuke," he said. "We really are sorry it took this long, though."

"That's okay..." Davis said, smiling gently. "I'm just... really glad to be at home again." He paused for a moment, licking his lips before he said, "I wanted to ask you guys a favor, though."

Hideo smiled and squeezed his son's shoulder. "Anything, Daisuke. It's not even a favor. You name it and you got it."

"I... there was another kid who was trapped with me," Davis explained. "A-and... well, his parents... They aren't around anymore. I thought, maybe... maybe he could stay here, with us."

Itsuyo gasped with her hands over her mouth. "How many of you were there?"

"Just the two of us," Davis said.

"Wh... Where is he?" the woman asked. "Of course he can stay with us. He'll need our support."

Davis' dad nodded. "For the two of you to recoup together will be better. Your mom raises a good question, where is he staying now?"

"Well he was... here with us when I knocked on the door. I don't know where he went..." He stood then, smiling at his parents. "Thanks, though. I'm gonna see if I can find him and then we'll be back."

Itsuyo grabbed her son's hand. "Daisuke..." She didn't have to say it. The simple tone in her voice relayed her fear of him leaving and for any reason not come back.

Davis smiled sadly back at his mother. "I know it's hard mom, but... we can't live in fear."

"Can't... Can't your friend Taichi go?" she asked and gestured to the young man across from her.

Taichi smiled. "Mrs. Motomiya, I swear I won't let anything happen to him. I've been taking care of him for this long, one more afternoon will be fine."

"I'll be back soon, mom. Promise." Davis leaned down and gave his mother another hug, kissing her cheek before he stood up again. "Alright?"

"Call me," she told him. "Call me when you get there and call me when you're about to leave. Please, Daisuke?"

"Sure," Davis said, nodding his head. "Just give me the new house number, and I'll make sure to do that."

She nodded and hurried to the kitchen where she wrote the number on the back of an old shopping list. "Here you go sweetheart, and you promise you'll call me?"

"I promise, mom," Davis said, taking the number and nodding again. "And we'll come right back afterwards."

"Oh! Daisuke, wait, I... I want to show you something." Itsuyo led Davis by his shoulders to a room near the back end of the apartment. "All the therapists said I shouldn't have done this, but I knew I would need it one day." She opened the door to reveal Davis' bedroom. Even in the new apartment, it was set up exactly as he'd left it. "I'm sure you'll want to make it older, but... I saved it for you."

"Oh..." A smile came to Davis' face when he walked into the room, looking around at everything. It really was just the way he remembered it, though it seemed his mother had taken the liberty of making his bed and setting it up with his clothes put away properly. That'd be easily fixed. "Thanks, mom..."He sniffled and wiped his face as the tears threatened to resurface. So, after all of that... they really hadn't given up on him after all.

His mom wrapped him up in a tight hug all over again. "Oh, sweetie, we always knew you'd come back. We had to believe, or else our lives would have been over."

"I'm... I'm glad," Davis said quietly. "I... always knew I'd get back here too, some day."

"We love you so much, Daisuke," she said into his ear, stroking his hair in that tender maternal fashion. "Never ever forget that. We love you."

Davis choked a little, nodding his head. "Y-yeah... I love you too," he answered quietly.

Itsuyo stood there holding her son for a few minutes, even swaying with him gently like mother's do, but she eventually let him go. "Go get your friend. We'll all sit down for dinner tonight. Your favorite, Daisuke. Anything you want." She smiled. "We'll even have desert first."

Davis laughed, smiling widely at his mother. "I can deal with dessert last, mom. But having my favorite sounds nice... I can't wait to have your cooking again."

She cast her brown eyes up at him, admiring how tall her son was now, and fixed a few stray frizzies of cinnamon colored hair. "All right. You get going. I want you home before it even gets remotely dark."

"Alright, mom," Davis said, still smiling. He didn't even mind being babied. He could understand why his mother was being protective- after all, he'd been gone, assumed dead, for six long years. He emerged back into the living room and motioned to Taichi that they were going. "And don't worry, I'll call!" he added before they were out the door.

Taichi got up from the sofa and followed Davis out. He waved to the Motomiyas and gave them another verbal reassurance before closing the door. "If we're lucky, Ken will just be down in the van," he said once they were in the elevator.

"I hope so..." Davis said, frowning as he leaned back against the wall for a bit of support.

"You feeling okay, though?" Taichi asked, looking at the younger brunet. "Physically, I mean. Anything hurting you?"

"No, I feel fine right now," Davis said. "I'm just hoping it stays that way."

"Well, just don't push yourself too much and you should be fine," Taichi said. The doors opened along with the little ping sound that signaled their floor. As they stepped out into the lobby, Taichi looked around quickly to see if Ken was hiding in a corner somewhere, but no luck. However, they were lucky enough to find the boy in the van, huddled down in the back end with his face in his knees.

Davis peered into the van, frowning when he spotted Ken. The Digimon were sitting at his feet, looking up at him sadly. "Ken?" Davis crawled in next to them, kneeling in front of the other boy. "Ken, what's the matter?"

Ken gasped softly. He looked up, eyes red rimmed and puffy from all his crying. "Davis... wh-why aren't you with your fa-family?"

"I wanted to see where you went off to..." Davis answered, frown deepening. "Why are you crying?"

"I-It was too hard," Ken said and shook his head. "They were so ha-happy to see you and all they wa-w-wanted to do was hold you. I... I couldn't... It hurt, D-Davis. I'm sorry I wasn't there, but it..." Ken choked and grabbed the front of his own shirt in a hard fist.

Davis didn't understand, but he crawled over to Ken's side and carefully wrapped his arms around the other boy. "What if I hold you?" he said quietly.

Ken turned and let his whole body just slump against Davis, practically bawling into his chest. "I nu-never g-g-got to suh-say goo-good-b-b-buh-hye!" Understanding then came over Davis' face, with a lowering of his eyes and a sad twitch of his lips. He couldn't say anything to that, he just held Ken tightly and let him cry. He knew how hard this must have been for him. He rubbed the other boy's shoulders with one hand like he did for his mother, knowing he couldn't do much more except be there for Ken. Ken's body started to rock back and forth as he sobbed into the front of Davis' shirt. "I d-don't wuh-hant to be all al-lo-lo-looone!"

"Ken..." Davis continued to gently rub the other boy's back, trying to wait for the boy to quiet down a little before he spoke. "I... asked my parents if you could live with us."

There came a loud wet sniffle before Ken lifted his face to look up at Davis. "You... You aren't g-gonna luh-leave me?"

"No... of course not, Ken," Davis said, shaking his head. "I know it's not the same, but... I want you to be a part of my family now." Ken made another sad noise as he sucked his bottom lip against his teeth, and then he wailed into Davis' shirt all over again, making very incoherent word sounds. Unable to make out a word that Ken was saying, Davis just tightened his arms around him and rocked him back and forth, like his mother had done for him moments ago.

The back doors to the van opened after a little while. During their whole wet, dripping, sobbing exchange, Taichi had driven them back to his own place. He looked inside the back end of the vehicle to see Ken asleep, having no doubt worn himself out, and curled up in Davis' lap. There were still stray tears sliding down his cheeks and this made Taichi frown sadly. "He really got worked up..."

"I don't blame him," Davis said with a small sigh. He peered out, realizing that they were back at Taichi's place. "What are we going to do here?"

Taichi grinned. "You've got stuff to take back with you, right? We're gonna gather it all up." The older teen held out his arms, offering to take Ken. Up in the apartment, he laid the boy down on the sofa and placed Wormmon there as well, then he went into his bedroom with Davis. "Since I can't wear them anymore, you'll be getting all my hand-me-downs," he said and started pulling things from the back of his closet.

"Sweet," Davis said, watching as a small pile of clothes started to accumulate on Taichi's bed. "Oh, sorry, I'm just gonna use your phone real quick to call my mom." He stood and made his way into the kitchen where the phone was, making sure to walk through the living room quietly.

Only one ring went by before Itsuyo picked up on the other end. "Daisuke? Daisuke, is that you?" she asked eagerly.

"Yes, it's me. I just wanted to tell you that we got back to Taichi's apartment alright. He's going to give me some clothes and some other things I used while I was here."

"Did you manage to find your friend?" she asked.

"Yeah, he was downstairs," Davis said into the phone, playing with the cord with one finger. "He's asleep now. He was sort of upset... you know."

"The poor thing," she sighed. "He really has no family?"

"Yeah," Davis answered. "He's never brought up grandparents or aunts or uncles or anything. I'm pretty sure it was just him and his parents."

"Well you tell him that your dad, sister and I are going to do everything we can to make him feel welcome. Anything he needs, he can ask us for."

Davis smiled slightly into the phone. "Thanks mom. I'm sure he'll appreciate it."

Her own smile could be heard in her voice. "You hurry up now. I'm going crazy over here. I need to hug you again!"

Davis laughed quietly. "Alright, alright... we'll be back soon." He paused, but then added, "I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart, so, so, so much."

Still smiling, Davis then wished his mother goodbye and hung up the phone. He peered into the living room, and tried to tread lightly so as to not wake Ken as he headed back into the bedroom. Taichi had a duffle on the bed from his soccer team in high school. It was pretty scuffed up and a hole was slowly being worn into one end, but it didn't have to go far. "Davis, why don't you gather up Ken's books?" Taichi said as he continued to roll the shorts and shirts before stuffing them into the bag.

"Sure," Davis said with a nod. He headed into the guest bedroom and started to pick up things that obviously belonged to the other boy, tucking as much as he could under his arm.

"Davis?" Ken's voice was quiet from where he stood in the doorway, rubbing sleepily at his red, tear-dried eyes. "What are you doing with my things?"

Davis looked over his shoulder, smiling gently at the other boy. "Do you... remember what I asked you before, Ken?"

Ken shook his head. "I was too upset. I don't really remember anything either of us said..."

Davis carefully placed the items he was holding down on the spare bed. "I asked you if you wanted to come live with me and my family."

The pale boy looked surprised. "Oh, Davis... I... I don't want to impose..."

"No," Davis responded, shaking his head. "I already spoke to my family, and they'd be happy to have you."

"They're your family, Davis, not mine," Ken said nervously. "You've waited so long to be back with them... How could I even try to push my way into that? I couldn't..."

"You won't be pushing your way in," Davis insisted, walking over to Ken and picking up both of the other boy's hands in his own, holding them together gently. "I'm inviting you. I want you to be there with me, Ken."

Fresh tears literally stung Ken's eyes as he tried to blink them back. "I haven't been with a family in so long, Davis. I... I don't know how..."

"That's okay," Davis said, lifting Ken's hands and kissing their backs, first one, then the other. "We'll teach you again. Everything will be fine."

Ken choked softly. "It just feels like so much, Davis..."

"I know," Davis said, nodding his head. "But... I think we'd be happy."

"I want to be happy, Davis," Ken admitted with a nod. "I want to be with you and I want to be happy."

"That's why I'm offering," Davis said with a small smile. Ken nodded again, simply wiping his eyes and giving the best smile he could. Davis' smile grew when he got one back. He moved one of his hands to cup Ken's cheek and leaned in, leaving a chaste peck on his lips.

Ken chased after those lips, wanting a little more of their attention, but he knew Davis would want to get back to his family as soon as possible. So he moved to gather up his own belongings and followed Davis to Taichi's room. Once all the clothes were packed he added his books, the toothbrush he'd bought, and their Digivices. "You two ready to go then?" Taichi asked as he slung the duffel over his shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah," Davis said with a grin of his own. He ran back into the kitchen to call his mom again to let her know. Itsuyo was just as ecstatic the second time her son called. She asked him how he was, how he was feeling, was he safe, did she need to come get him, did he need anything from the store, and almost twenty other questions. Davis just laughed kindly and insisted he was fine, and the sooner she let him go, the sooner he'd be home. This earned him an excited goodbye and well wishes before she hung up. Ken stood with Taichi by the door, holding his arm with the opposite hand and looking nervously down at his feet. He really, really hoped the Motomiya's liked him. Davis emerged from the kitchen after the extensive phone call, nodding his head. "Ready to go. Are the Digimon still in the van?"

Taichi nodded back. "Unless they know how to open a zipper from the inside of a bag, then yeah."

"Hope they're not too restless," Davis laughed, following Taichi out of the door. He noticed Ken sort of trailing them and grabbed his hand, offering him an encouraging smile.

Ken squeezed Davis' hand. "What should I do when we get there?"

"Just be yourself," Davis said. "If you do that, they'll love you in no time."

"How should I address them?"

"Just call them by my last name for now... I'm sure they'll correct you if they want you to call them something else."

Ken nodded. "What should I call your sister?"

"Just Jun," Davis said, resisting the urge to make a joke. "Jun works fine."

Ken bit his lip. "Are you sure that's not too friendly? I've never met her," he said as they climbed into the van.

"You'll be fine. I doubt she'll be offended," Davis said. "She'll probably think you're cute and let it slide, if she hasn't changed since I saw her last," he added with a laugh.

"Should I give them part of my paycheck?" Ken went on to ask. "The library pays me plenty. Should I shop for my own groceries?"

"No, Ken," Davis said, shaking his head. "You're going to be a part of the family."

Ken nodded in understanding, but he was biting at his lip. It all still seemed so unreal. "Where do I sleep? Should I take the couch? I won't mind."

"You can share my room," Davis answered. "There's plenty of space."

"Wh-What do I do when I meet them?" Ken asked, getting nervous again. "Am I supposed to hug them or shake their hands or bow?"

"Like I said, be yourself and you'll do fine," Davis said, leaning back in his chair and smiling slightly at the nervous expression on Ken's face. "Do whatever feels natural."

"B-But I don't know!" Ken insisted in a slight panic. "Ohhh... What if I screw up?"

Davis leaned over and lightly kissed Ken's cheek. "You'll do fine."

The kiss seemed to help calm Ken down a bit. He took in a deep breath and let it out with a heavy sighed as he leaned against his boyfriend in the seat. "I really want this to work, Davis."

"It will," Davis said. "I told you, everything will be just fine."

"...I love you, Davis."

"I love you too," Davis murmured, burying his face in Ken's hair.

Soon enough Taichi had dropped the boys off in the front of Davis' building. He wished them both good luck, said he'd like to stay, but he had a date with Yamato he'd been putting off for too long. Ken blushed slightly at the tone he used and just turned his face down at the van drove off. "This is it..."

"Yeah," Davis said, his face also a little red in Taichi's wake. "C'mon, the elevator's this way," he said, tugging on Ken's hand as he led him inside the building.

Ken followed along hesitantly. He almost kept feeling like he would throw up, but then just swallowed it back down. Davis had to knock since he didn't have a key yet, but the door opened so quickly you'd have thought Davis' mom was waiting for them right on the other side. "You made it!" she cried and threw her arms around her son in yet another hug.

Davis nearly fell backwards, but righted himself and laughed. "Yeah, I'm fine, mom," he said. When she finally let go, he motioned with his free hand to Ken. "Mom, this is Ken."

"It's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Motomi-!" Ken had just started to go into a bow when the woman caught him up in a hug.

"Oh, honey, you can call me Itsuyo. I am so happy to meet you, Ken!" she said and gave him a squeeze.

Ken just stood there in wide-eyed surprise at first, but then he relaxed, smiled like he was going to cry, and hugged her back. "You too..."

Davis stepped back and grinned. He knew everything would work out. Hopefully Ken would quickly calm down when he realized that nothing bad was going to happen. Not anymore. Davis' sister appeared in the doorway when she realized her mother was outside. "Welcome back," she said, smiling and coming to stand next to her brother. "Is this your friend?"

Ken smiled shyly at the older girl when Itsuyo let go of him. "H-Hello, Jun, my name is Ken," he said, again attempting a bow.

"Oh, come here," she said with a smile, doing like her mother and hugging the boy. "You're a part of the family now! Nice to meet you, Ken."

"J-Just like that?" Ken asked while returning the hug nervously.

"Sure, just like that," she said, pulling back and putting her hands on his shoulders. She had the same smile as her brother, especially when she grinned widely like she was. Almost the same haircut, too, if it wasn't straighted like it was. "We'll be under the same roof, so we should all be friendly, right?"

Ken nodded. "D-Definitely, yeah."

She nodded in response and then started to usher him inside. "Come in! We'll show you where you'll be staying." Davis followed after alongside his mother, still just sort of watching and smiling. It seemed so very surreal, to finally be back home. To have Ken along with him. The Digimon, safe and sound in a bag under his arm. He felt like his contented grin could split his face.

Itsuyo took the lead and led Ken to Davis' room. She opened the door and gestured inside. "I'm afraid we didn't have any spare tatami. We don't get guests very often, but we had this sleeping bag," she said in reference to the blue thing laid out on the floor beside the bed. "We'll work on getting you a proper bed very soon. Maybe bunk beds. How does that sound?"

Ken smiled softly. "My brother and I had bunk beds."

"Your brother?" Itsuyo blinked and looked at her son even as she asked. "You have a brother?" Davis bit his lip and shook his head gently, hoping his mother would get the message to drop the subject. He hadn't wanted to bring up Ken's brother. The woman nodded. "I see, well, Hideo and I will get to work on those bunk beds as soon as we can. In the meantime, I hope the sleeping bag and pillow will be enough for you?"

Ken smiled and nodded. "Yes, thank you very much, Itsuyo." He then looked towards the other boy. "We should unpack."

"Of course! You boys do that while I get dinner ready. Daisuke, it's your night, so what's it going to be?"

Davis thought about it for a moment, looking over at Ken and then back at his mother. "Do you have the fixings for sushi, mom?" he asked.

"Sushi?" Itsuyo echoed confusedly. "Daisuke, I don't believe I've seen you eat sushi a day in your life."

Davis just smiled, shrugging his shoulders. "It's not my favorite, but I had it a while back and it was pretty good. I guess I've just got a craving. Is that alright?"

"Well, sure. I've got enough to whip something together. I'll call you boys when it's ready, all right?" She gave them both a kiss on the forehead and took Jun with her to help make dinner.

Once inside Davis' room, Ken started to unpack his books, but he looked at the other boy and smiled. "You did that for me, didn't you?"

Davis closed the door and opened the bag to let the Digimon out. Wormmon just stretched happily while Chibimon flopped out overdramatically. "What? Nooo," Davis sang, putting an expression on mock innocence on his face.

Ken laughed softly. He approached Davis from behind, wrapping his arms around the taller boy's chest. "You remembered... That means a lot."

Davis smiled, resting one of his hands on Ken's. "And I'm glad I do."

"If it's ever my night to choose, I'll pick cheeseburgers," Ken said.

Davis laughed then, nodding his head. "And you remember, too."

"Oh, Davis, who could ever forget that you love cheeseburgers?" Ken teased.

"Hey, you never know," Davis said, looking over his shoulder as best as he could. "Someone could assume that in order for me to maintain my amazing body, I only eat rabbit food."

One of Ken's hands slid along Davis' arm and gave the muscle a firm squeeze. "You don't get a body like this without eating a little red meat."

Davis flexed his arm a bit in Ken's grasp, smirking slightly. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Ken hummed. "Davis, may I have a hug?"

"Sure," Davis said, spinning around in the other boy's arms. He then reached his own out and pulled the other body towards him. "How's that?"

"A little tighter," Ken insisted. "I want to feel your muscles hold me."

Davis swallowed, doing as he was told. He pulled Ken even closer, wrapping his arms tighter around the other boy's shoulders. Not too tight, just enough to make his arms flex a little. "Better?"

Again Ken hummed, and he let his head rest on Davis' chest. "Much better," he replied and laced his own arms as much as he could manage around his boyfriend's waist. "Just like this..."

Davis smiled, ducking his head down into Ken's hair again. "It's a good thing I woke up when I did," he said quietly. "This is much better than any dream."

"Can we sleep together tonight, Davis?" the pale boy asked. "I've gotten so used to it."

"Of course," Davis said, nodding his head and rubbing his cheek against Ken's hair. "I've gotten used to it, too."

"Davis..." Ken began slowly. "When will we tell your parents about us? We can't keep it hidden forever."

"Let's just get settled back into normal life first," Davis murmured. "Then we can tell them."

"Do you think they'll let me stay after they find out?"

"Yeah," Davis answered. "My parents are great. I'm sure everything will be fine."

"You know I could never leave you, Davis," said Ken, nuzzling gently. "You're all I have in this world now."

"That's not true, Ken," Davis said, leaning back a little and cupping Ken's face with his hands. He was still smiling, even as he shook his head a bit. "You've got Wormmon... you've got a home... and you've got friends. And you'll see, the longer we're all together, that none of us want to leave you, either."

Ken smiled gently with tears in his eyes again. "Am I really forgiven, Davis?"

Davis nodded his head, kissing both of Ken's cheeks, just below those watering, indigo eyes, before pulling back again. "Yeah. You really are."

Ken laughed softly, wiping away his own tears. "I love you, Davis..." He looked up, blushing and smiling, truly happy. "I love you."

Davis' face turned a bit red just from seeing that genuine smile. "I love you too," he murmured, before sliding a hand under Ken's chin and lifting him up into a deep, sweet kiss. Ken laced his arms around Davis' neck and pushed up on his toes to get into the kiss. This was the kiss that officially made his heart feel at peace. It was the kiss that meant Ken was unconditionally loved, would always be safe, and was finally home.

* * *

Fin!

A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed this story through to the end. We really enjoyed False Paradise and its prequel, and now the tale has come to a close. I hope you guys have enjoyed it too!


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